On the occasion of International Girls in ICT Day, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), made a strong call to increase female representation in the IT sector information and communication. His speech, marked by a call for awareness and action, highlighted the persistent challenges but also the opportunities to increase gender parity in a field traditionally dominated by men.
Since her election as the first woman to lead ITU, Bogdan-Martin has used her platform to promote initiatives promoting women’s engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). International Girls in ICT Day, celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April, aims precisely to raise awareness and encourage female participation in this rapidly evolving sector.
“We are at a crucial moment in our digital history where less than a quarter of ICT ministers are women and where only 32 out of 165 regulators are headed by women,” Bogdan-Martin emphasized during his speech. She also drew attention to the salary disparities and barriers to career advancement that women in ICT still face.
The Secretary General reiterated that gender inequality can lead to faulty product designs and bias in machine learning, emphasizing the need for balanced participation to avoid these pitfalls. “Unequal representation can alter how we design and use technology, and we must be vigilant to incorporate a gender perspective every step of the way,” she added.
Bogdan-Martin also mentioned the progress made by ITU’s Girls in ICT program, which has become a global movement providing a platform to overcome the barriers women face in technology. This program highlights emerging technology areas, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, where female contributions are crucial to innovation.
Last year, under her leadership, ITU strengthened its efforts to prepare young women to become visionary leaders, affirming that “leadership is not just about holding a title, but about harnessing the power of ideas to inspire transformative change.”
Concluding her call, Doreen Bogdan-Martin urged the international community to support efforts to eliminate the digital gender divide and encourage more young women to pursue careers in STEM. “We cannot build an innovative and sustainable digital future without the full participation of half of humanity,” she said, emphasizing the urgency of achieving gender equality in the digital age.
