Digital technology new source of discrimination against women.

During a dialogue with women civil society leaders in the UN General Assembly Hall on Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres heard about the critical need to make the internet safer for women and girls - and to ensure that they are equal participants in global conservations, both online and in-person.

The town hall with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was held as part of the annual session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), which meets in New York every March.

Its latest two-week session - known as CSW67, which runs through Friday - is focused on the theme of innovation, technological change, and education in the digital age.

Civil society also used the town to appeal for more action on other issues critical to women and girls, such as greater representation at the UN, ending the war in Ukraine, and eliminating all forms of gender-based violence.

A male-dominated world

In remarks prior to the dialogue, the Secretary-General spoke of the backslide in women's and girls' rights globally after years of incremental progress.

'Many of the challenges we face today - from conflicts to climate chaos and the cost-of-living crisis - are the result of what is a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, taking the key decisions that guide our world,' he said.

Newfound discrimination

Mr. Guterres noted that digital technology - the product of an industry that is predominantly male - represents a new source of discrimination and bias.

'Rather than presenting facts and addressing bias, technology based on incomplete data and badly-designed algorithms is digitizing and amplifying sexism - with deadly consequences,' he said.?

'Medical decisions based on data essentially from men can damage women's health.??Safety features based on men's bodies can put women's lives at risk, namely in the car industry,' he added, citing examples.

The gender digital divide is fast becoming the new face of gender inequality, he continued. Online spaces are not safe for women and girls, as they have been attacked, targeted, or denigrated on the internet.

Furthermore, 'while 12 men have walked on the moon, not a single woman has done so,' he said, pointing to stereotypesthat 'push girls away from studying science, engineering, and math, and strangle the careers of women scientists.'

Keep pushing forward

Mr. Guterres said the situation must change, and in the face of the 'patriarchal pushback', the international community...