International Women’s Day and The Metaverse

On Tuesday, we celebrated International Women’s Day, in celebration of this and looking to how we are all able to #BreakTheBias, we look to one of the newest tech developments, The Metaverse, and what we can do to ensure there is an equal representation within this new virtual world. 

What Is The Metaverse?

At its core, the metaverse is a virtual reality world that allows users to interact, game, and experience things as they would in the real world. Using current Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tech, users can immerse themselves in this virtual world and interact with objects and people that are being projected within the world. 

Women In The Metaverse

The theme for 2022’s International Women’s Day revolved around the hashtag #BreakTheBias. Focusing on breaking down biases within our communities, workplaces, schools, colleges, and universities to ensure a gender-equal world.

When it comes to the Metaverse, where self-expression, identity, and representation are at the core of its experience, this year’s International Women’s Day theme of #BreakTheBias undoubtedly helps highlight the need for gender equality and ultimately provides an important call-to-action for positive change.

One example of how the Metaverse has provided a positive platform for International Women’s day would be to look at the 3D avatar platform ZEPETO. ZEPETO focused on the #BreakTheBias theme and has launched a series of features across its platform to help raise awareness among its audience of over 300 million users.

ZEPETO has a user base of which the majority are Gen-Z women, has added a feature in which users can choose and wear items themed around International Women’s Day and #BreakTheBias. Additionally, to show their support for the cause, users have been encouraged to take a photo with their apparel and share their #BreakTheBias pose on their social feeds.  

ZEPETO is a platform that encourages its users to socialise, play and create. This in turn provides a perfect platform to help raise awareness about women’s equality, in both the Metaverse and in real life.

This virtual reality platform with over 300 million users, most of whom are women, have also registered to be official platform creators through ZEPETO Studio. This enables them to express themselves through their creations and ultimately sell millions of their unique virtual items and spaces. For many of these female creators, ZEPETO is empowering them to create and scale their fashion lines designed for the Metaverse.

Ensuring Equal Representation In The Metaverse

While platforms like ZEPETO are making inroads to have equal representation for both men and women in the Metaverse, it is paramount that we all ensure to build an equal representation in the Metaverse and beyond. 

Making jobs within the immersive tech industry a plausible and attractive career prospect for a new generation of men and women is an important step to achieving a greater equal representation in the field. Ensuring that there are female role models within the sector, as well as female leaders will help more women rise within the sector. The women who nominate other women as board members, who have successful careers and pay it forward by helping other women succeed are at the forefront of this movement. 

Making sure that women are represented the same as men when taking part in the building of the metaverse is just one way that there can be equal representation. From this, we must ensure that the Metaverse is also a safe space for everyone, as well as correctly sized VR sets to be available for all shapes and sizes, and to open up the same opportunities for women as for men. 

Having underrepresented groups get involved with the creation, and development of the Metaverse means that men and women of all ages and backgrounds will have their say in the future of many fields. This will allow the Metaverse to be a vibrant and equal virtual world, a true metaverse, that will both benefit and suit us all.