On International Day of the Girl UNICEF and Partners Call for Investments and Empowerment of Girls

In Uzbekistan and across Central Asia, girls continue to be underrepresented or entirely left out on essential learning opportunities in STEM and ICT fields due to harmful norms and gendered expectations of girls as caregivers – and gender stereotypes are perpetuated through generations.

“Investing in reducing the gender gap in STEM and promoting girls’ leadership and empowerment is imperative,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan. “Closing the gender gap in digital fluency expands possibilities for girls in a technology driven world. Girls learn the skills needed to participate in the digital economy, improve financial agency and self-sufficiency and will ultimately enhance human capital and contribute to the growth and development of Uzbekistan.”

In Uzbekistan, girls and young women are prevailing among Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), which makes them more vulnerable to becoming socially excluded. After completion of the compulsory secondary education 56% of young people of 19-24 years of age are NEET (69% female and 33.4% male). The NEET-rate for young women increases rapidly once they are above 18 years of age and complete compulsory secondary education (from 1.7% to 69%). 

Further, a substantial divide persists among girls and boys in computer literacy and Internet access and use. The share of females without any computer literacy is 43.5% in comparison with the one among males of 30,0%. The share of girls and young women aged 14-30 years old who never use the Internet is 68%. The key reasons of not using the Internet among youth are poor connectivity, lack of own devices and high cost of the Internet. For girls and young women, the access is also hindered by social stigmatization. Underrepresentation of young women in STEM fields reduces their skilled employment prospects.

Girls with disabilities are especially at risk of not getting an education and training and do not have minimum digital literacy to navigate safely on digital platforms, limiting future educational and employment opportunities. The NEET rate among young people with severe disabilities is 77%, rising to 91% among those with profound disabilities.

In Uzbekistan, UNICEF jointly with IT PARK is implementing a free comprehensive digital literacy and graphic design training program at IT centers in Karshi, Termez, Nukus and Tashkent to enhance girls’ leadership and empowerment in STEM fields.

Participants also include girls with visual, hearing and physical disabilities. In addition to giving girls and young women critical technology skills, the programme is equipping girls on concepts of gender equality and disability inclusion and how harmful gender stereotypes impact girls’ choices in life.

Research has shown that visible, relatable women role models in STEM can have profound influence on girls’ decisions to engage and pursue education and careers in these fields, so the programme is  also linking girls to role models in the field of high technologies.

UNICEF has identified the following as critical pillars for the empowerment of girls in Uzbekistan and beyond:

• Supporting the leadership of adolescent girls at the forefront of change efforts, including by hearing their voices, responding to their asks, and nurturing spaces for their inclusion in decision-making.
• Increasing resources for and investments in adolescent girls, including for the networks and organizations that support quality and inclusive education and prioritize their well-being.
• Improving access to and uptake of inclusive adolescent girl-centered services at all times but especially in crisis response and recovery.