Policy Brief: DigitALL - Innovation and technology for Gender Equality in Viet Nam

International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 call our attention to the digital divide between men and women and calls for an inclusive digital transformation. Aligned with IWD, the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women has as priority theme Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. What makes this theme relevant, and what are the implications for Viet Nam? The purpose of this brief is to elaborate on this priority theme by presenting available data from Viet Nam.

While the digital revolution has immense potential to improve social and economic outcomes for all, including women and girls, it also risks perpetuating existing patterns of discrimination and inequalities. 37% of all women globally are not online. Women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade— a loss that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action.