Latin America. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are actively used by Latin American governments in their social development agendas. In addition to plans to reduce the digital divide, there are initiatives to use ICT as key tools in gender equity projects that pursue various objectives, from labor inclusion to violence prevention.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), women's participation in the labor market was only 48.5 percent in 2018 globally, while in the case of men, this index climbed to 70 percent, according to an infographic from 5G Americas. In addition, the existing wage gap between women and men produces a loss of wealth for society estimated at 160 trillion dollars worldwide, according to a World Bank report published in 2018.
In Latin America there are various initiatives and public programs that seek to increase the inclusion and participation of women in the labor and economic field, as well as improve their situation in different aspects such as security, health and education, among others, as reflected in the report "Gender and ICT in Latin America" of 5G Americas. The document also incorporates evidence presented by international organizations on disparities in labor participation and their impact on society.
Some of these programs seek to promote the integration of more women into the labor market through the development of digital skills. In this category are initiatives such as an employability network in Peru, the Women in STEM Future Leaders program in Mexico, or the training of tutors to promote technological education in young people, in the case of Honduras.
There are also projects, such as Junt@s in Ecuador, that promote the use of ICT and mobile technologies as channels to prevent gender violence, facilitating communication to emergency numbers and access to preventive content.
The incorporation of ICTs into plans that promote gender equity is positive for the region and requires working on a joint agenda between industry, government and society. Mobile technologies should be considered as elements of the technological environment that can be used in the design of innovative programs and, as such, it is necessary to maintain conditions that allow the development of infrastructure and access to devices by the population.
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