Can technology break through both the glass and the class ceiling?
Yes, absolutely.
Is it currently breaking through?
No.
But it can and it will.
This was the message from Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, on the recent #GlassClassCeiling webinar held in the run up to International Women’s Day. The event was part of the Department for Opportunities initiative which is fighting for less elitism and more equality aims to t DO something about one of the biggest issues facing our country: social mobility.
Women only make up 19% of the UK’s tech workforce – we must do better. Big challenges require big action. Below is a snapshot of some of the calls to action from the #GlassClassCeiling event.
* “If we could get as many women working in tech roles as there are currently men in tech roles, we would solve tech skills gap right there”. This was the rallying call from Sheridan Ash, PwC’s Technology Innovation and Women in Technology Leader and founder of TechSheCan. Initiatives like the Institute of Coding and TechSheCan are making an impact and are a dynamic base to build from.
* “Technology isn’t just an industry – it’s the foundation of every industry. All jobs are becoming ‘tech jobs’ or tech adjacent. If we don’t get this right, we will miss the boat to address equity in our workforce as a whole”. This was a point made with real urgency by Kristen Titus, Director of the Cognizant Foundation and Former Chief Tech & Innovation Officer for the State of New York.
* “Bringing more women into tech isn’t about changing women – likewise bringing in people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds – isn’t about changing people. The sector needs to change to be more welcoming for talent across the UK”. This was a further marker laid down by the Sarah Atkinson.
* Representative business organisations and sectoral bodies must be relentless in galvanising industry leaders and driving progress. There is also a major role for technology experts within the global employment services industry which even during the global pandemic is responsible for placing 58 million people across the world into work (according to the latest World Employment Confederation data).
In the words of Sheridan Ash, “Collaboration is a superpower” and there is no doubt collective voice and collective effort hold the key to gender equality across all roles and sectors. The recent webinar was an energising stock-take of what more needs to be done. Let’s #breakthebias, let’s shatter some glass!