How are opportunities and risks of digital technologies framed in public policy?

• Author: European Institute for Gender Equality (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 20-24

2. How are opportunities and risks of digital technologies framed in public policy?

European Institute for Gender Equality20

2. How are opportunities and risks of

digital technologies framed in public

policy?

(17) https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/europe-2020-strategy

(

18

) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=cex:42015Y1215%2801%29

(19) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/deeper-and-fairer-economic-and-monetary-union/european-pillar-social-rights_en

Various aspects of digitalisation have been EU

policy priorities in recent years, in particular with

a view to their potential for the empowerment

and inclusion of disadvantaged groups. The digi-

tal agenda is o ne of the Eur ope 2020 (17) flagship

initiatives which, among other objectives, aims to

promote digital li teracy, skills and inclusion and

strengthen online trust and security (European

Commission, 2014).

The opportunities and threat s of digitalisation for

gender equality are rarely explicitly recognised.

It is crucial for EU institutions and the Member

States to incorporate a gender perspective into

all digital initiatives and to recognise that digital

power is driving a new, stronger wave of aware-

ness about challenges for gender equality. Digi-

talisation has considerable potential with regard

to creating an inclusive, equal and participator y

society if targeted suppor t and funding infra-

structure for womens empowerment is given

sufficient recognition.

2.1. Opportunities of digitalisa-

tion for active participation

in youth policies

Youth active citizenship is high on the EU polit-

ical agenda. The EU strategy for youth 2010-

2018 calls for the active participation of young

people in society, as does the Paris declaration

of EU education ministers, which focuses on ac-

tive citizenship among young people and chil-

dren. The EU strategy for youth has t wo main

objectives: to provide more and equal oppor-

tunities for young people in education and the

labour market and to encourage young peo-

ple to actively participate in society (European

Commission, 2009). Although promoting gen-

der equality and combating all forms of dis-

crimination is an important guiding principle of

the strategy, a gender-equality perspective is

addressed very narrowly, only in relation to the

need to combat gender stereotypes via formal

and non-formal education systems.

In its EU work plan for youth 2016-2018 (18),

the Council of the EU and the representatives of

the governments of the Member States agreed

to strengthen youth and cross-sectional coop-

eration in the following priority areas: increased

social inclusion of all young p eople; stronger

participation of all young people in democrat-

ic and ci vic life in Europe; easier transition of

young people from youth to adulthood, in par-

ticular their integration into the labour market;

support for young peoples health and well-be -

ing, including mental health; contribution to

addressing the challenges and opportunities

of the digital era for youth policy, youth work

and young people; contribution to responding

to the opportunities and challenges raised by

the increasing numbers of young migrants and

refugees in the European Union (Council of the

European Union, 2015). Some of these aims are

also endorsed by the European pillar of social

rights (19).

Following the work plan, an expert group on

risks, opportunities and implications of digital-

isation for youth, youth work and youth policy ,

established and coordinated by DG Education,

Youth, Sport and Culture, was established. In

2018 the group delivered a study on the impact