Women need the tech revolution
Despite all discussions about gender equality we still have a very long way to go. World Economic Forum (WEF) says it will take 99+ years to close the gap, but it also has some ideas on how to improve. And the answer is a new tech revolution!
“With a new tech revolution comes new jobs, and women are falling behind in securing these positions. Companies can address this imbalance through the creation of inclusive workplaces; providing opportunities where women can learn skills that will secure them these roles; and take a diverse approach to the hiring process.”
”It’s also important to provide more opportunities to inspire and encourage women in tech.”
The WEF points at the importance of women in leadership to help close the gender gap.
”Women in leadership act as role models to inspire other women to succeed. However, women leaders also have the power to make changes that will increase equality both in the workplace and in wider society.”
Looking to the future, WEF says the greatest challenge preventing the economic gender gap from closing is women’s under-representation in emerging roles. For example, in cloud computing just 12% of professionals are women, engineering and data 15% and artificial intelligence 26%.
FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The organization says workforce strategies must ensure that women are better equipped (in terms of improved skills or reskilling) to deal with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
We also need diverse hiring along with creating inclusive work cultures. The WEF Global Gender Gap Report measures the progress of 153 countries towards gender equality.
According to the report, a quarter of the countries have achieved gender equality, with the top positions occupied by Northern European countries. The top-ten are Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Rwanda and Germany.
Countries that have improved the most are Spain, Mali, Mexico, Albania and Ethiopia, with Western Europe overall making the most progress.
257 YEARS WAITING TIME
- There has been an increase in female representation in politics but it will still take 95 years to close the gap.
- Equality in education is at 1%globally, with only 12 years until it is fully reached. A total of 35 countries in the report have already achieved gender equality in education.
- Health is at 7%where 48 countries have reached equality and 71 have closed at least 97% of the gap.
- Economic Participation and Opportunity is at 57.8% so WEF estimates it will take 257 years to reach equality, an increase of 55 years since 2019!
According to the report, the reasons for this are:
- Women’s jobs are being taken over by technology and mechanisation.
- Women are not occupying jobs with higher salaries, such as the tech industry.
- Women are still suffering from lack of care infrastructure and access to capital – in 72 countries in the report, women cannot open bank accounts or acquire credit.
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