Women World Leaders at COP26. Image by Scottish Government from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

By Brian Malika, founder of One More Percent and Advisory Board member at Digital Democracy Initiative.

Long before the onset of the first industrial revolution around 1760, it is recorded that early humans used crude weapons to hunt, employed basic methods to fish in shallow waters, and toiled with their bare hands to plant and harvest. In general, history books only paint society before 1760 as a period of equal struggle for all. However, this is not accurate, as there was a form of stratification based on socially defined gender roles that placed women and girls in a lower class compared to men. This meant that women, girls, and even children were classified as property alongside “cattle.” They performed the hardest jobs with their bare hands, lacked the right to consent, and couldn't decide their future or that of society. 

First industrial revolution

In the beginning of the 1760s, a revolution occurred that saw humans use water and steam to mechanize farm production as well as the spinning jenny invention that transformed the textile and cloth industry. Many other developments in iron processing made smelting much easier. These advancements led to accelerated mass production and increased economic growth in some parts of the world.

However, even though the first Industrial Revolution was a leap forward for human civilization, it laid the foundation for many social injustices. For example, with the introduction of mechanization, men could now access large chunks of land for farming, thanks to tractors that were more efficient than labor provided by human hands. 

On the contrary, women and girls were pushed to tend to the needs of men and their families, assume care of the household, and were often at the mercy of men who benefited from huge profits and territories because of mechanization. The first industrial revolution made stronger economies and stronger men and popular media. But the end of this era limited a woman's role to serving the needs of men, children, and the household.

Second industrial revolution

Coming to the second industrial revolution, from around 1870 to 1914, the discovery of modern energy sources like electricity phased out the dependence on steam and water to fuel the mechanization of production. This era saw the development of lightbulbs, telephones, air brakes, airplanes, refineries, and other machines that used modern electricity as a source of energy. 

From a gendered perspective, the second industrial revolution happened at a time when patriarchal dominance was high, therefore enabling men to travel more with ease at the expense of women via the use of modern ships, planes, and automobiles to discover and explore the world. Men were also able to spread their ideas in newspapers and TV more than women in this era. 

Unfortunately, because of the improved effectiveness of artillery machines and communication tools for the surveillance and transport sector, men were at the forefront of starting wars and conflicts, including the First World War. Interestingly, this period saw a small progress in gender equality as more women were needed to replace the men who went to war. Consequently, there was an increase in white-collar employment for women, allowing them to work as teachers, clerks, and in factories, unlike before. 

Still, research shows that women and girls could not access higher-paying jobs or managerial positions. They were denied opportunities to study medicine, engineering, or law and were confined to low-paying, menial jobs. They were not allowed to vote, let alone be elected into leadership positions.

But even in these difficult times, some women made strides and made their mark on society. Baroness Bertha von Suttner, a talented Austrian writer, wrote against war and violence in her novel entitled “Lay Down Your Arms” which propelled her to be the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Marie Skłodowska-Curie, a Polish-French physicist and chemist, overcame numerous hurdles to receive Nobel prizes in Chemistry and Physics. She became the first woman to win the Nobel prize and the first person to win it twice. While studying uranium's rays, she discovered new elements and named them polonium and radium. She further coined the term “radioactive” to describe them.

Third industrial revolution

After the two world wars, the 1950s ushered in the third industrial revolution. This period saw the development of the first computers, automated communication and transport systems, and the advent of the internet.

During this era, women-led movements and rights groups demanded their space in social, economic, and political spheres in a more organized and conscious manner than before. These movements led to unprecedented accomplishments, such as  Sirimavo Bandaranaike becoming the world’s first woman prime minister by leading Sri Lanka in 1960. Also, in 1966, Indira Gandhi became India’s first and only woman prime minister as of 2025. This wave also led to Margaret Thatcher becoming the United Kingdom's prime minister between 1979 and 1990, making her the first woman to lead a developed country.

During the third industrial revolution, the famous World Conference on Women took place in Beijing, China, in 1995, which brought together women activists globally to enact a 12-point legal framework aimed at achieving equality between women and men, boys and girls, in social, economic and political areas of society. The Beijing Conference bore fruit by urging governments to mainstream gender as a pathway to achieve equality. This principle guided the drafting of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, with gender mainstreaming as a key pillar.

Other notable gains for women and girls during the third industrial revolution include more women leading countries, Wangari Mathai becoming the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai receiving a Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old, and Katie Bouman leading the development of an algorithm for imaging black holes.

On the downside, women still faced barriers in gaining equal access to education. Meanwhile, health issues like the HIV epidemic significantly harmed women and girls globally and created long-term barriers to accessing equality in some areas.

Fourth industrial revolution

Fast-forward to today, we find ourselves in a unique era where, unlike previous revolutions, the third and fourth industrial revolutions are happening simultaneously!

We are experiencing a time when the internet is intertwined with digital technologies and deeply embedded in our social, economic, political, and even physical human anatomy.

Simultaneously, we are less than five years away from 2030, when the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are expected to be actualised, including the agenda for reducing inequalities for women and achieving gender equality.

It is frightening that in any year, fewer than two percent of women and girls in tech start-ups receive investor funding and grants to prototype or scale their innovations globally, with some parts of the world seeing statistics as low as zero percent.

Also, 50 percent of women and girls could not resume their normal jobs after COVID-19. This reality has effectively pushed back our prior achievements in gender equality.

As we navigate the fourth industrial revolution, we must be deliberate in ensuring that projected technological gains, such as that of blockchain, benefit African women and girls. One example is ensuring that African women and girls can access education and gain financial independence, which is hindered by only 20 percent of women on the continent having access to bank accounts today.

Also, we must find ways to ensure that emerging technologies in agriculture promote non-land-based farming since only 15 percent of women own farmable land globally, making it difficult for them to influence agricultural production.

Lastly, I  hope that the fourth industrial revolution will make it easier for women and girls in vulnerable settings to use their phones to report instances of gender-based violence directly to the police and file court proceedings. This can be made possible by funding tech solutions that address the needs of women and girls who are victims and survivors of gender-based violence.

I am hopeful that inclusive technology is the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle needed to bridge the gap in gender equality as we enter the future of tech-based industrial revolutions.