International Women’s Day: This year’s theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality

International Women’s Day is to be celebrated on March 8 with this year’s theme DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

The UN’s theme this year highlights how technology is crucial to advancing rights but a growing digital gender gap is impacting everything from women’s job opportunities to safety online.

According to the UN, 259 million fewer women have access to the internet than men, and women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

“Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality,” says the UN’s website.

“Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs.”

International Women’s Day (IWD) is marked each year to celebrate the achievements of women and push for rights progress.

IWD has roots in the US socialist and labour movements of the early 20th century, particularly as women were fighting for better working conditions and the right to vote.