The gender digital skills gap is real

International Women’s Day has arrived. A day to raise a glass, raise awareness and generally call out for change in our communities, schools, offices and (especially relevant to us) digital workplaces. 

The tech sector has been designed and dominated by men since time immemorial, or at least since the early days of Silicon Valley. Which is why, on this International Women’s Day, we would like to spark a global conversation on the importance of integrating gender equality considerations into digital skills. A conversation that has become all the more significant of late considering how significant digital skills are to enabling participation in the global labor market. 

UNLEASH’S content labs events program is free to subscribe to. It is our contribution to the HR sharing economy. It is also where we demonstrate and campaign for gender equality in the digital world.  

The digital skills webinar 

At 4pm UK time on March 8, two guest speakers (the talent) and UNLEASH (the medium) will come together to discuss how we might narrow gender divides in digital skills through education.

The importance of education, self-learning in this instance, to develop the digital skills of women and girls cannot be underestimated. Self-learning is going to play an increasingly vital role in helping to reset gendered views of technology and ensure equality for women and girls.  

According to the European Commission, 90% of jobs today require a certain level of digital skills. Right now, women are lagging far behind. They represent less than one third of those working in science, research and development, and even less in ‘frontier’ technologies. Women make up only 17.5% of the tech workforce worldwide and hold just 5% of leadership positions: A bold reminder of just how important skills and education are for women to get ahead.  

Tune in to listen, ask questions and join in with Bénédicte Clouet, Sabina Joseph and UNLEASH’s Kate Graham as we come together to celebrate and advocate for womenkind – for our rights and for equality – all around the world.  

International Women’s Day 2023

UNLEASH’s Content Labs events program is by no means the only HR-focused platform that will host a discussion on the significance of digital skills to the gender equality equation on the day.  But that’s what’s so wonderful about International Women’s Day. This day is about aspiration and pragmatism. Borrowing, reproducing, recycling, altering and building on equality focused ideas and insights is necessary if we are to evolve.

Coming together in person and/or online to hear and discuss feminism in all its variants and dimensions is part of the necessary push and pull of a culture and we will continue to play our part.

In doing so, we can, we are and we will continue to create something new, something virtuous and something principled in the process.

Don’t miss our exclusive LIVE webinar taking place on International Woman’s Day on March 8. Our speakers will be sharing their experience of gaining the right digital skills, at the right time in order to succeed in their own careers in the male-dominated arena of tech.