Stop digital sexism

We commemorate March 8th again this year, with almost the same demands, or even worse, insisting that we don't want to take steps backward. Feminism seems like Sisyphus trying to push a boulder uphill over and over again. Today, one of the reasons that makes progress in rights and the consolidation of those already achieved more difficult is the digital world. Because it's not just that it has a sexist bias, but that by its very nature it amplifies and multiplies it. As we explain in today's dossier, the examples are numerous and the reasons obvious. One is that the digital universe is dominated by white heterosexual men, both the owners of the main companies in the sector and those who program and work in these companies. These men train the algorithms with the inherent gender bias, based on their interests and concerns, and they don't even find it strange that this bias exists, nor do they know how to detect it.

Algorithms amplify the gender bias that exists in society, which is why more transparency and more control are needed.

Thus, we find, for example, that in the advertising that young men and women of university age receive, some are shown degrees in technical fields such as engineering and computer science. Or that the AI ​​tools used by some large companies to select their employees only look at men's resumes, because the algorithm was trained only on men's data and considered that to be the appropriate thing to do, so it discriminated against anything that seemed feminine—as happened at Amazon, which led to greater [unclear - possibly "female" or "unclear"]. There are anecdotal things, such as the fact that Google calculates distances based on men's stride length and standard speed, but others are fundamental, such as banks that, using outdated data—from when women, discriminated against, had more difficulty finding work and money—deny loans to women without taking into account that today they are just as, or even more, creditworthy.

All of this is happening in a context where the male-dominated sphere is gaining strength on social media, spreading messages that resonate widely. And because social networks have algorithms that reward polarization and interaction, these messages are reproduced even more. Algorithms are not pure and innocent mathematical formulas; they are created by people and therefore respond to their own biases and interests. It is important to know what is happening and to maintain more control. That is why it is important to have more women working in this digital context, to increase digital literacy among the population, and, especially, to cultivate a critical and skeptical perspective. Right now, several countries, including Spain, are considering prohibiting access to social media for those under 16. Some of the reasons are precisely this lack of control and this sexist and violent bias, which is amplified and spread through social media. But it's not just there. Now that the AI ​​tsunami is upon us, it's important to control not only how it's used, but also who controls it and how. More transparency and regulation are necessary. And we can't wait too long.