This post was written by Fuji Aotari, Project Manager at Open Data Lab Jakarta.
This week we are celebrating Open Data Day and International Women’s Day. On this 10th anniversary, Open Data Day continues to promote awareness, adoption of policies, and the use of open data in building innovative solutions to challenges in government, business, and civil society. Similarly, under the theme #EachforEqual, this year’s International Women’s Day encourages collective efforts to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, and broaden perceptions in order to create an equal world.
Gender inequality can be found in almost every industry, including the information, communication and technology sector. A study by GSMA showed women in low and middle-income countries are 10% less likely than men to have a mobile. Although mobile ownership can help empower women, making them more connected, safe and able to access information and services, key barriers such affordability, lack of literacy, a perceived lack of relevance, and safety still exist. The digital gender gap extends beyond just divisions in access. The Web Foundation’s Women’s Rights Online research found that, even when online, women in the Global South are less likely to use the Internet to transform their lives by participating in economic and civil activities. Closing the digital gender gap signifies an important effort towards technological advancement and ensuring women are not left behind by denying them the right to participate as equal citizens.
The Open Data Lab Jakarta supports the promotion of women’s rights in Indonesia through the program “Towards Digital Equality: Empowering Citizens and building movements for better financial transparency and gender-inclusive development in Indonesia”. We view data empowerment as an essential building block in achieving digital equality. Through this program, we’re aiming to enable women and marginalized groups to become data-empowered, so they can identify, create and implement effective solutions to achieve the kind of development they collectively envision. Happy Open Data Day and International Women’s Day!
For more information about this project, Follow the Lab at @ODLabJkt and visit labs.webfoundation.orgTo receive a weekly news brief on the most important stories in tech, subscribe to The Web This Week.
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