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Women, Digitalization and Social Innovation?
Digitalization, automation and Artificial Intelligence are deeply transforming countries, societies and communities, with impact on economic, social and political structures. While these developments pose challenges they offer at the same time new opportunities. For instance, on an economic perspective, while most sectors have always been structured around traditional values, hence a lack of women participation, the emerging of a dynamic ICT sector in the MENA region has moved the lines at a very promising extent and gives hope for greater inclusiveness. The use of digital platforms is providing women with greater access to markets, knowledge and more flexible working arrangements. These can result in higher female employment rates in the digital economy than in traditional industries: in the United States, the proportion of female drivers is higher for Uber than for traditional taxis . Faced with such an encouraging trend, the KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean is definitely determined to highlight and address the opportunities the ICT industry represents for the regional development.

Although digitalization offers great opportunities to reduce the main bottlenecks in terms of gender disparities, it is also important that no one is left behind from a broader perspective. Indeed, while we consider that a digital solution must be an innovative idea by being more effective than existing solutions; its main added value must first benefit the entire community without creating collateral damage to the benefit of a particular group. It is in this sense that the KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean aims to focus on social innovations by stressing the point on the social dimension of entrepreneurship.