Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter
A STUDY by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) shows that there is a wider digital skills gap between women and men.
This gap, the study established, is more pronounced in rural areas.
There are therefore calls for the country to scale up women empowerment to achieve gender equality and inclusion in line with this year’s women month theme: “DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”.
Despite advances in digital technology, ZimStat says the gender gap in access to information communication technologies (ICT) still exists, which impedes women from realising their full potential.
The agency said women are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and the ripple effect of this gap is felt in the workplace where women are also under-represented.
“There are notable gender differentials in the ICT skills that women and men possess. This can be attributed to the training that women receive in school, which is not STEM related,” said ZimStats.
It said data from the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey showed that fewer women had ICT skills than men in all the areas that were collected in the survey.
“The statistics further reveal that the skills gap is apparent between rural and urban areas, underscoring the need to improve access in rural areas,” said ZimStats.
The agency said in 2014, the proportion of women aged 15-49 who reported having ever used a computer was 19 percent while 20 percent had used the internet. In 2019, the corresponding proportions were 29 and 34 percent, respectively.
“On the side of education and training that women are choosing to pursue, data shows that women are opting for areas of study that are not science related,” said ZimStat.
It said information collected during the 2022 Population and Housing Census shows that women constituted only 22 percent of all persons in the country who studied engineering, manufacturing and construction. They also constituted about 32 percent of people who studied ICTs.
Commenting on the Women’s Day celebrations organised by Girls in STEM Trust in Bulawayo on Wednesday, prominent ICT expert, Mr Robert Ndlovu said girls were under-represented in STEM fields and events that bring them to learn and appreciate the subjects can motivate them.
He said bringing in successful women in STEM fields can inspire and motivate them to study STEM subjects.
“Girls can gain confidence in their abilities by participating in STEM activities,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said events like the one organised by Girls in STEM Trust are crucial as they are encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. — @SikhulekelaniM1
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