Growing inequalities around the world are becoming increasingly evident in the context of digital skills and access to technologies, with women being left behind as the result of a digital gender divide. The lack of representation in STEM education and careers continues to be a major barrier to their participation in technological development and governance. Online gender-based violence often forces women out of the digital spaces that they engage in. MPA fully supports the UN Women’s message and mission for IWD 2023.

From the first computer programmer Ada Lovelace in the 1830s to present-day technology like AI, women have made untold contributions. These contributions have been made under imaginable odds, in an industry that has historically welcomed them or shown the appreciation they deserved. The need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education is therefore crucial for a sustainable future. Bringing women and other marginalized groups into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.

What's Next?

How we can supercharge an equitable digital future?

The choices we make today will profoundly impact our path forward. This 8 March, the UN is calling on all people, governments, activists, and the private sector alike to power on in their efforts to:

1. Remove all barriers to access the digital world.
2. Educate and train women and girls in STEM.
3. Enable women to create tech that meets their needs.
4. Eliminate online gender-based violence

Facing a multiplicity of global crises, we have a chance to create a better future—not just for women and girls, but for all humanity and all life on Earth.

Influential Women

Annie Jean Easley - The Human Computer

Annie Jean Easley (1933 –2011) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist at NASA. In her successful 34-year career she implemented complex computer code, pioneered alternative power technology, and supported the Centaur rocket launch. Her work on alternative energy is still used today in electric vehicles.

Annie J. Easley was a pioneer, not just for women but for the technological revolution that she helped ignite, changing the industry’s trajectory forever. She lived in a time women faced extreme discrimination from society, yet she never let this stop her from exceeding her goals and dreams.

Susie Wolff - Daring To Be Different

Susie Wolff is a retired competitive motorsport athlete. In 2014 she made history by becoming the first woman to compete in a F1 race weekend in over 22 years. Since her retirement from competitive racing, Susie Wolff has made it her life’s mission to foster positive change within the industry of technology and motorsport. As of March 1, 2023, she has been appointed as the Managing Director of the F1 Academy. After her appointment Susie’s said:

Annie Jean Easley’s and Susie Wolff’s legacy has and will continue to inspire hundreds of women to make an impact in the STEM industry, they are notable examples of the vital role women have played and continue to play in innovation and technology.