SANTIAGO, Chile, (CMC) – The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Wednesday issued a call to guarantee women’s access to digital technology, increase the number of women majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and eradicate gender cyber violence.

In a message marking International Women’s Day that is being observed under the theme: ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,’ ECLAC said in Latin America and the Caribbean, internet benefits are not distributed equally and that an estimated 244 million inhabitants do not have access to these services.

ECLAC said differences in access to digital technology are especially alarming when urban and rural communities are compared, while 68 per cent of urban homes in the region had an internet connection in 2018, the same held true for only 23 per cent of households in rural areas.

According to a report by ECLAC, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Gender, Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Autonomy in the Digital Era; Contributions of Education and Digital Transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean, women’s access to the internet is more precarious.

An estimated four out of 10 women in the region are not connected to the internet. The reasons vary including access may not be available; they cannot afford it, do not have a compatible device, or lack the basic skills to connect.

“The cost of mobile and fixed broadband service for the population in the first income quintile in the region averages 14 per cent and 12 per cent of their income, respectively, which explains why a high percentage of this low-income population does not have access to the internet. Given that women are over-represented in lower-income households in the region, this explains why there are more women in households that are not connected,” the document noted.

ECLAC Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, in a video released in observance of International Women’s Day, said ECLAC recognises the talent, strength and creativity of women and girls in the region.

“However, we note the structural persistence of gender inequality. The data speak volumes and call us to action. This 8 March, we are calling for a narrowing of the gender digital divide and the full participation of women in technological development and knowledge. And also, for a transition to a care society, a development model that puts equality and sustainability of life at the centre and leaves no one behind,” he added.

Women in the region have achieved much in terms of education, surpassing men by 6.1 percentage points in high school completion. Despite these achievements, women are not equally represented in academic disciplines, as shown in the ECLAC report.

These inequalities widen over the course of primary and secondary education and later at the university level.

In most countries of the region, women account for no more than 40 per cent of graduates in STEM careers. The areas where women are least represented are engineering, industry and construction – where women’s college enrollment stood at 30.8 per cent in 2019 – and information and communications technology, where only 18 per cent of college students were women in 2019.