Zichun Ma(Daisy) & Zixin Li (Suzie) & Yudong Zhang (Clive)

Gender equality has always been a controversial topic. The plight of women in the workplace or life in the past is still a concern of public. The rise of the Internet seems to give persecuted women a platform to speak out or get help. However, some people use the convenience and communication of the Internet to further expand the infringement on women, such as spreading private photos of women. Is the existence of the internet intensive or improve gender equality?

Woman Feeling Stressed In The Workplace by Ciphr Connect is marked with CC0 1.0

Mar Elias High School class_1117 by hoyasmeg is marked with CC0 1.0

Gender issues exist offline as well as online, and the Internet does not necessarily exacerbate them, but rather provides a new platform for their expression. Women may face risks of surveillance, harassment, stalking, identity theft, and manipulation online which are also linked to gender-based violence offline. As Alex Crowe reported news of teenagers uploading nude photos of girls in their classes via Facebook. (It can be viewed in detail through this link: https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/sharing-of-nude-photo-of-teenager-at-catholic-school-under-investigation-20230822-p5dyl9.html). Due to the low threshold of the internet and the sharing of resources. This has led to some of the sexism or inequality that already exists in the real world having a larger platform to spread to teens. Gender stereotypes that exist in offline environments, which are the root cause of inequality between men and women, and gender violence, also exist in the online world, or even intensify the gender issue.

Coffee cup in focus. Hand holding a phone in the background by wuestenigel is marked with CC0 1.0

On the other hand, there is article shows that women are using technology to advance gender equality and peace.It forcing on group of women in conflict areas who are using technology to build the peace and reduce gender inequality. The example is Sudan’s protest movement. The movement is mainly pushed by the communication via WhatsApp, organizing over Facebook, and posts by Instagram influencers. The women who are unable directly join in voice it and record the action through Facebook and Twitter. They also built a private Facebook group in order to raise funds for developing the revolutionary movement. It also exposes the abuses and the inequality treatment the women met.

Reference:

Abbott,L.(2023August 14). Elena proved she earned less than her male peers,but she still couldn’t make her employer pay. The Sydney Morning Hearld.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/elena-proved-she-earned-less-than-her-male-peers-but-she-still-couldn-t-make-her-employer-pay-20230717-p5dp0f.html

Council of Europe.Internet content and equality between men and women.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/internet-and-equality

Crowe,A.(2023,August 22). Sharing of nude photo of teenager at Catholic school under investigation. The Sydney Morning Herald.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/sharing-of-nude-photo-of-teenager-at-catholic-school-under-investigation-20230822-p5dyl9.html

Lopez,M.(2020,May 21). Women’s safety online: A driver of gender inequality in internet access. The UN Specialized Agency for ICTs.
https://www.itu.int/hub/2020/05/womens-safety-online-a-driver-of-gender-inequality-in-internet-access/

Robertson,D.&Ayazi,M.(2019,July 15). How Women Are Using Technology to Advance Gender Equality and Peace. United States Institute of Peace.
https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/07/how-women-are-using-technology-advance-gender-equality-and-peace