Young Women Urged to Get More Involved in Shaping the Digital Future

Executive Director of the Transformation Implementation Unit, Maria Thompson Walters, is urging girls and young women to step into leadership roles and actively shape the Caribbean’s digital future.

Mrs. Thompson Walters was addressing the 10th anniversary observance of International Girls in ICT Day on April 23.

The event was held under the regional theme ‘Empower, Educate, Elevate: Building a Future-Ready CARICOM with Girls in ICT’, and the global theme ‘AI for Development: Girls Shaping the Digital Future’.

The Executive Director said while Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have achieved gender parity in Internet use, this milestone must now be matched by greater inclusion in areas such as digital innovation and leadership.

“The question is no longer whether girls can access technology. The question is: are they becoming creators, innovators, leaders and owners of opportunity?” Mrs. Thompson Walters underscored.

She further noted that global connectivity continues to improve.

However, disparities persist in women’s participation and leadership in technology-related fields.

Citing data from international agencies, she pointed out that 70 per cent of men used the Internet globally in 2024, compared to 65 per cent of women, while women account for only 35 per cent of STEM graduates and less than one-third of researchers worldwide.

“Progress is important, but progress is not parity,” she said, while lamenting that increased access has not yet translated into equal opportunities for innovation, ownership and decision-making among women and girls.