The Women Thrive Worldwide Gender and Technology Roundtable at IREX

Access Denied: Bridging the Gender Technology Gap

INVITATION
Wednesday, February 8th at 3:30pm
IREX
2121 K Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington DC, 20037

Featuring an expert panel of speakers:

Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Women Thrive Worldwide

Dr. Maura O'Neill, Senior Counselor to the Administrator and Chief Innovation Officer, USAID Willow

Sheila Casey, TechWomen Initiative, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State

 Darsie, Independent Consultant and Former Senior Fellow for Partnership  and Innovation, International Center for Research on Women

Nancy Taggart, Senior Technical Advisor, Education Development Center

Ari Katz, Deputy Director for Technology and Civil Society, IREX

In order to participate in economic, political, or social life, women – and men – must have access to information, which, in this day and age, means access to technology. Technology can also be a powerful tool for escaping poverty and accessing basic services – whether it is women who are using cell phones for cash transfers for food in the Horn of Africa or the use of digital cameras to prevent election fraud. Yet, throughout the world, people living in poverty have limited access to technology and, women, in particular, face myriad barriers– such as time, money, literacy, language, education, and location.

In an increasingly globalized and digitized world, what is the impact of this increased use of technology on the disproportionate amount of women who can’t access it? Donors have started to harness the power of technology to empower women and girls – how are they doing this well and what needs improvement? As government agencies increasingly rely on technology to disseminate information and consult with civil society about their own development, how are they ensuring that women’s voices are heard?
Please join us for an engaging dialogue to discuss this and other important issues around women, development and access to technology. Additional speakers are still to be confirmed.

Please RSVP by emailing Cori Fleser at cfleser@womenthrive.org.

Twitter Hashtag: PLEASE NOTE that the hashtag for this afternoon's event has CHANGED. If you would like to tweet along or just follow the event discussion, please use #GenderTech