A series of historically significant events, linked to the explosive development of technology and the globalization of the economy, are rapidly transforming our daily lives and redefining the relationships between the economy, the state, and society. The social and cultural changes are as dramatic as the technological and economic ones. Computers create new communication channels and redefine human relationships. However, social activity continues to be structured around the primary, fundamental identities defined by nationality, language, religion, sexual preferences, and gender.

The UN World Conference on Women, in Beijing in 1995, characterized the media and new technologies as a “critical area” for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The years that followed highlighted the need to integrate the gender dimension into the evolving Information Society, as a means of balancing gender relations and promoting social development. It is a fact that the benefits of new technologies are distributed unevenly, both globally and locally, and among different social groups. However, gender discrimination is one of the most significant asymmetries.

Unfortunately, it is paradoxical that women triumph at all levels of education, surpassing men both in numbers and in performance, yet they risk being marginalized in the Information Society. What forces are acting discouragingly in the relationship between women and technology? In what ways and with what policy measures can the already emerging negative outlook for women in the new digital economy be reversed? “Just as in the past we designed and implemented programs to combat illiteracy among women, today we need to promote programs against digital illiteracy,” responded George Papandreou, himself a fan of new technology, in his first meeting with working women. A recent resolution from the Women’s Committee of the European Parliament follows the same line, introducing the gender dimension for the first time in the discussion of digital discrimination and the shaping of policy for the Information Society.

Unfortunately, in the public discourse regarding the development and consequences of new technologies, the focus is solely on economic impacts. The gender dimension is not taken into account, resulting in technology issues being mistakenly interpreted as gender-neutral. The fact that the lack of access to new technologies and digital illiteracy are increasingly becoming new forms of social exclusion, from which women are directly at risk, is ignored.

The Internet continues to be dominated by men and is primarily targeted at them. Aggressive video games for young children contribute significantly to making new technologies a male-dominated field. The explosion of pornography on the Internet is a factor that perpetuates stereotypes and violence against women, reinforcing inequalities and discrimination against them.

Gender inequalities in the labor market are a cause for concern in all EU countries, even in those with low unemployment rates. The work culture of new technologies, with its obsession for “faster, better, more modern” results, puts women at a disadvantage. The constant pressure arising from the need for continuous updates, retraining, and acquiring additional qualifications, given the immense speed of changes in this field, creates stifling situations of work-related stress that pressure women’s careers. The digital economy offers opportunities but also challenges for women – challenges that differ from those faced by men and are based on the different roles and the ongoing unequal and unfair distribution of time and domestic responsibilities between the sexes.

It is certain that the relationship of women with the Information Society can be significantly facilitated if men also take on their share of parental leave, childcare, and domestic work. Equally important is greater attention to social infrastructure. The integration of the gender dimension in the development of new technologies not only raises issues of access, quantitative participation, and equal representation of women, but also a profound question and critical evaluation of the culture of the Information Society, with its values, development strategies, goals, and the involvement of human resources. Traditional approaches to new technologies, based on economic, professional, or merely technological parameters, should be complemented with greater sensitivity to gender issues, participatory democracy, and quality of life.

Anna Karamanou – MEP, PASOK

President of the Committee on Women’s Rights

and Equal Opportunities

www.karamanou.gr