MUNDO DIGITAL Y GÉNERO: ¿NOS AFECTA POR IGUAL?

(CÓMO EL COVID- 19 HA AUMENTADO

LAS BRECHAS DE GÉNERO TECNOLÓGICAS)

10 Junio 2020

Mariagrazia SquicciariniOECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation

mariagrazia.squicciarini@oecd.org

BREAK THE PILLARS OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ->address access, affordability and use

Women face hurdles to access; affordability issues; lack of education, skills and technological literacy; inherent gender biases and socio-cultural norms…..

Worldwide, women are 26% less likely to have smartphones (70% South Asia, 34% Africa) (OECD-G20, 2018)

In all APEC economies but US women use Internet to a lesser extent.

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

DIGITAL GENDER GAP IN INTERNET USAGE IN SELECTED APEC ECONOMIES, %, 2017

Men and women differ in the way they use Internet and what they do online, e.g. purchase and sell, make video calls, apply for jobs, use online banking services or use social medias to network.

-2-10123456 %

UNDERSTAND TO FIX ROOT CAUSES -> The gender equality paradox

Gender differences in participation in STEM are greater in economies exhibiting greater gender equality (measured through the Global Gender Equality Index)

GENDER EQUALITY AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCENTAGEOF WOMEN AMONG STEM GRADUATES

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

EDUCATION MATTERS! ->skills, including digital literacy, are a must

Compulsory education helps eliminate the digital gender divide. At 15, women display greater literacy and collaborative problem solving skills than men. This gap in literacy is bridged by age 27 on average. Men’s advantage in numeracy skills increases with age.

Skills in high demand in digital intensive sectors are displayed more by men. Women need to acquire more self-organisation, management and communication, and advanced numerical skills. Greater enrolment in STEM studies, targeting gender biases in curricula and parental preferences is key.

Removing obstacles to adult education is important. This calls for:- opportunities for adults to upgrade

their skills- co-ordination across institutions

& actors, including education and training institutions, employers, but also social policy institutions.

CURRICULUM DESIGN IS KEY ->Meet education and skills needs but avoid CV overload

While girls and women have made impressive headway in educational attainment, gender gaps persist.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT, 2012 AND 2015

In 2015, boys outperformed girls in mathematics by an average of four points.

The gap was wider among high achievers, with the highest-scoring 10% of boys outperforming the top 10% of girls.

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

AND SO ARE EDUCATIONAL TOOLS AND APPROACHES -> ICT use @ school

Integrating digital literacy in teachers’ training may encourage teachers to modify approaches to teaching and help them reduce stereotypical attitudes and transmitting them to their students.

Teachers need being aware of the extent to which they may influence students, especially girls, with their anxieties, mindset and approaches, to support students – and girls in particular - fulfil their potential.

TEACHING PRACTICES AND DISCIPLINARY CLIMATE, BY COMPUTER USE IN MATHEMATICS LESSONS

-0.2

-0.15

-0.1

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

structuring practices formative assessment student orientation cognitive activationstrategies

Mean index

No use of computers Students use computers Only the teacher uses computers If teachers do not feel at ease with ICT they may:§ avoid using computers,

etc. in their classes, § develop feelings of

anxiety and uneasiness, § pass such anxiety to their

students Ultimately failing to support their students to become proficient digital learners.

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

….TECHNOLOGIES NEED TO BE USED IN THE “RIGHT” WAY -> ICT use @ school

A complex relationship emerges between how much students use ICT at school and their performance in mathematics, science and reading: - moderate use of digital devices at school may be better than no use at all, - but ICT use above the average is associated with significantly lower results.

STUDENTS’ SKILLS IN READING, BY INDEX OF ICT USE AT SCHOOL

Students with the highest performance in both reading and digital reading use ICT slightly less than the average student does.

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

ADDRESS STEREOTYPES ->tackle ingrained socio-economic biases

In all economies boys are more likely to expect to work as ICT professionals at age 30

012345678

Boys Girls

%

PERCENTAGE OF BOYS AND GIRLS WHO EXPECT TO WORK AS ICT PROFESSIONALS AT AGE 30

0123456789

10

Probability that boys expect the same career as their fathersProbability that girls expect the same career as their mothers%

BUTGirls are less willing to follow in the footsteps of their mothers

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO EXPECT THE SAME CAREER AS THEIR PARENTS, BY GENDER

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

The environment, i.e. family and friends, shape young people’s decisions about future education and training.

Boys benefit more than girls from advice from someone from the world of work, career guidance or teachers on what to do in their future career.

MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT WOMEN-FRIENDLY -> provide information and advice

REASONS TO CHOOSE A CERTAIN EDUCATION OR TRAINING, AVERAGE OF 9 APEC ECONOMIES, BY GENDER, 2019

Girls tend to study what they enjoy.

Boys tend to make choices related to future job opportunities and based on advice.

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

INCLUDE -> Increase labour market participation & better redistribute unpaid childcare & housework

Increased participation in labour markets, needs to go hand in hand with job quality. Flexibility should not occur at the cost of e.g. pay, job security or social protection.

Better redistribute unpaid childcare and housework. Women are time poor and spend 2.6 times more time than men on unpaid care and domestic work.

Source: OECD (2017), The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264281318-en

GREATER WORK FLEXIBILITY CORRELATES WITH HIGHER MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT

AUT BEL

CZE

DNK

EST

FINFRADEU

GRCHUN

IRL

ITA

LVALUXNLD

POL

PRT

SVK

SVN

ESP

SWE

CHE

TUR

GBR

25

35

45

55

65

75

85

95

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60

Employment rate for mothers (%)

% mothers working as employees who have worked from home at least once over the past 12 months

CLOSE THE GENDER WAGE GAP ->in both digital-intensive and less digital-intensive industries

Women and men are rewarded differently for the same skills: This has to stop!The gender wage gap is generally more pronounced in digital intensive industries.

Source: Based on Squicciarini et al. in Sey and Hafkin (Eds) (2019).

GENDER WAGE GAP IN APEC ECONOMIES, DIGITAL AND LESS DIGITAL INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES

AIM TO SHAPE THE FUTURE ->The pace of change in innovation activities is too slow

Women’s participation in inventive activities is increasing, but the pace is slow. Female participation in patenting activities increased over the period 2004-15 – in ICTs more than in other technological domains. However, at the current pace, it will be 2080 before women are involved in ½ of patented inventions.

0

5

10

15

India

Mexico

United

State

s

Cana

daFra

nce

Brazil Ita

lyTu

rkey

Austr

alia G20

United

King

dom

Japan

Russi

an Fe

derat

ion

Saud

i Arab

ia

German

y

Argen

tina

South

Africa

% ICT patents Patents in other technologies All patents

PATENTS INVENTED BY WOMEN, G20 COUNTRIES, 2010-15As % of IP5 patent families invented in countries, ICT and other technologies

Source: OECD (2018), Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Include, Upskill, Innovate

MAKE THE DIGITAL WORLD MORE FEMALE-LIKE ->Software is still about (male) geeks…

R PACKAGE AUTHORS BY COUNTRY FOR 300 OF THE TOP PACKAGE AUTHORS

0

5

10

15

20

25

USA

German

y

Great B

ritian

Austr

ia

Austr

alia

Cana

da

New Ze

aland

Franc

e

Netherl

ands Ita

ly

Irelan

d Jap

an

South

Africa

Ind

ia

Number of R package

authorsR package authors

of which: 1 woman142

Software is male-dominated, especially in companies.

Women are few and far between.Play a relatively less important role.

Many are less connected to the network of software developers

than male colleagues.

Especially in companies, few (15%) female (R) software authors are found.

Source: OECD (2018), Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Include, Upskill, Innovate

COVID-19: A POWERFUL & PAINFUL NATURAL EXPERIMENT->Teleworking + home schooling + caring +…+... is the “new norm”

Taken from: “There’s no such thing as multitasking, women just work more”

Policy responses must account for women’s concerns.Fundamentally, all policy responses to the crisis should embed a gender lens and account for women’s unique

needs, responsibilities and perspectives.

§ Women lead the health response: women make up almost 70% of the health care workforce, exposing them to a greater risk of infection.

§ At the same time, women are shouldering much of the burden at home, given school and child care facility closures and longstanding gender inequalities in unpaid work.

§ Women face high risks of job andincome loss, and increased risks of violence, exploitation, abuse or harassment during times of crisis and quarantine.

SKILLS FOR JOBS IN THE DIGITAL ERA ->upskill and facilitate workers’ occupational mobility

0 5 10 15

High risk of automation occupations

High risk of automation occupations

All occupations

All occupations

ICT Advanced Numeracy Accountancy and SellingManaging and Comm. Self-organisation

TASK-BASED SKILL TRAINING NEEDS, ACCEPTABLE TRANSITIONS, TRAINING UP TO 1 YEAR, BY GENDER

To move across occupations, women generally need to bridge larger skill gaps, both cognitive and socio-emotional skills

Source: OECD(2020) The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Evidence from APEC Economies

1) How to deal with the societal, economic, technological, demographic and political megatrends + health & climate emergencies that are shaping education’s organisation and content? How to make education able to continue fulfil its missions, i.e. to form individuals and endow them with competences, helping them to develop as persons, citizens and workers?

2) How to educate students for their future, rather than based on the past? Changes and innovation in education take time to be accepted and implemented for the interests, beliefs, fears and motivations of the stakeholders involved in education (e.g. teachers, parents, student and politicians). New technologies, and the speed, scale and scope of the digital transformation (accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemia) are changing the way people connect, live, work, and learn. Education cannot stay out of this epochal change, but to do so…..

3) We need reconciling seemingly antithetical goals, including: a) Customising education while catering for the needs of all, under tight budget constraints. b) Enhancing performance while reducing inequalities and fostering inclusion.c) Shaping up the education profession, when budgets and motivation are low.d) EDUCATORS ARE KEY for learning and so is training the trainers, and need incentives. e) Meet the education and skills needs of the digital era while avoiding curriculum overload.

SOME IMPORTANT CHALLENGES FACING EDUCATION ->Some “how to” in need of an answer

TYPIFYING KEY POLICY ACTIONS ->Implementation time and cost for governments

Cost for government

Time frame from design to implementationSHORT MEDIUM LONG

LOW

Make teachers aware of gender biases and being role models for students

Make educational material and approaches gender neutral

Stop online violenceGet girls to code: bring girls and software closer

Address self-censorship and make girls aware of real abilitiesSchool to engage with parents to shape expectations about future

Fix the leaky (STEM) pipelineClose the gender wage gap and address age-based discrimination

LOW TO MEDIUM

Key role of school leadershipBreak the (vicious) circle of lack of self-confidence and of information

Bundle cognitive and socio-emotional skills in curriculum designEndow girls and women with the skills needed for the future of work

Plan to align expectations with reality and engage stakeholders throughout

MEDIUM TO HIGH

Use ICT at school (with moderation) to optimise learningGet women to work side by side with machines

Teachers as active agents for change Make girls future-ready: digital literacy and global competence

Design and shape lifelong learning opportunities, also for occupational

transitionsHIGH Address time poverty and provide childcare and family support

TYPIFYING KEY POLICY ACTIONS ->Implementation time and cost for governments

Cost for government

Time frame from design to implementationSHORT MEDIUM LONG

LOW

Make teachers aware of gender biases and being role models for students

Make educational material and approaches gender neutral

Stop online violenceGet girls to code: bring girls and software closer

Address self-censorship and make girls aware of real abilitiesSchool to engage with parents to shape expectations about future

Fix the leaky (STEM) pipelineClose the gender wage gap and address age-based discrimination

LOW TO MEDIUM

Key role of school leadershipBreak the (vicious) circle of lack of self-confidence and of information

Bundle cognitive and socio-emotional skills in curriculum designEndow girls and women with the skills needed for the future of work

Plan to align expectations with reality and engage stakeholders throughout

MEDIUM TO HIGH

Use ICT at school (with moderation) to optimise learningGet women to work side by side with machines

Teachers as active agents for change Make girls future-ready: digital literacy and global competence

Design and shape lifelong learning opportunities, also for occupational

transitionsHIGH Address time poverty and provide childcare and family support

Fix the leaky (STEM) pipeline!i.e. the low study persistence and overall low graduation rates of women in STEM.

Women find it hard to enrol and remain in STEM studies and exhibit higher drop-out rates or likelihood to switch majors than their male colleagues. Such patterns are unrelated to poor academic performance.

A number of concerted actions can help fix the leaky pipeline, included:• greater presence of female role models; • education helping girls feeling more at ease with competition and peer-pressure; • addressing self-censorship; • teachers and professors ensuring gender-neutral approaches throughout STEM careers; • and making students aware of STEM-related stereotypes in parental expectations

Education curricula and teacher training should note existing gender differences in STEM and the economic impact that they may have in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; and how this may affect women’s labour force participation and their employment opportunities and career prospects.

TYPIFYING KEY POLICY ACTIONS ->Implementation time and cost for governments

Cost for government

Time frame from design to implementationSHORT MEDIUM LONG

LOW

Make teachers aware of gender biases and being role models for students

Make educational material and approaches gender neutral

Stop online violenceGet girls to code: bring girls and software closer

Address self-censorship and make girls aware of real abilitiesSchool to engage with parents to shape expectations about future

Fix the leaky (STEM) pipelineClose the gender wage gap and address age-based discrimination

LOW TO MEDIUM

Key role of school leadershipBreak the (vicious) circle of lack of self-confidence and of information

Bundle cognitive and socio-emotional skills in curriculum designEndow girls and women with the skills needed for the future of work

Plan to align expectations with reality and engage stakeholders throughout

MEDIUM TO HIGH

Use ICT at school (with moderation) to optimise learningGet women to work side by side with machines

Teachers as active agents for change Make girls future-ready: digital literacy and global competence

Design and shape lifelong learning opportunities, also for occupational

transitionsHIGH Address time poverty and provide childcare and family support

Teachers as active agents for change Successfully using ICTs for educational purposes relies heavily on teachers’ abilities to select, create and manage adequate digital resources in order to implement innovative and inclusive teaching strategies in a specific context.

Integrating digital literacy in teacher training may encourage teachers to modify their approaches to teaching itself and help them reduce their adoption of stereotypical attitudes and transmit them to their students.

It is fundamental for education to help all individuals, and girls in particular, to take advantage of new tools and technologies while addressing concerns about misuse, abuse or any other possible drawback that digital technologies may entail.

Those in charge of educating today’s “connected” learners are confronted with a number of new (or newly relevant) issues, including “information overload”; plagiarism; protecting children from online risks, including fraud, violations of privacy and online bullying, which disproportionally affect girls and women as victims; and setting an adequate media “diet”.

Current and future teachers + school leaders need to be supported to ensure that they effectively integrate ICT and digital content in their schools. They further need to be and remain competent users of ICT and digital technologies themselves.

Bridging the digital gender divide - full reportBridging the digital gender divide - key messages

MUCHAS GRACIAS

The Role of Education and Skills in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide:Evidence from APEC Economies

Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19crisis

MARIAGRAZIA.SQUICCIARINI@OECD.ORG