Today is International Women’s Day when thousands of events are held across the world to inspire women and to celebrate success. This is not only a chance to recognise the positive achievements and progression of women, but also serves to emphasise the importance of equal opportunities and access to education for everyone, regardless of gender.
Two thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women and globally sixty six million girls are absent from school. This inequality is not only devastating for women and girls, but it is also detrimental to the wider economy. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Council on Foreign Relations, a ten per cent increase in the education of girls and women increases GDP by three per cent.
People at Intel are convinced that technology and education have real power to fuel transformative change. Therefore we launched a number of initiatives which use technology to expand learning for girls and to develop technology solutions to address the specific challenges that face women. Through access to technology, scholarships and community learning programmes, Intel provides girls and women with opportunities for quality education, new job skills and personal growth.
This week Intel and 10 x 10’s TheGirl Rising, a new film that spotlights the true stories of extraordinary girls around the world, was shown for the first time in New York. This will be coming to Europe in the next few weeks to generate mass awareness, individual advocacy, and global action for girls’ education, so watch this space.
Bernadette Andrietti, Regional Director for the European Union Region at Intel, said, “It is critical we have the maximum number of girls and women with great education to build the best future! Diversity is crucial to succeed in new technologies and Intel is contributing to it at all levels.”
We will see many more initiatives supporting this worthy cause during the year ahead. We’ll also highlight stories from around the region in the coming weeks; keep an eye out for new posts to the Intel Newsroom Europe!