Currently, women hold 23% of jobs in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector in Spain. A figure that is optimistic if we compare it with that of the previous year, 19.8% of digital positions. In other words, three out of ten workers in the sector were women, as stated in the study Transforming skills for gender equality in society and the digital economy (June 2020) of the Equality and Employment Observatory.
In fact, Spain stood in 2020 one point above the European average. However, if we go to universities, only 12% of the female population is studying computer science or technology, compared to 20% of the European average, according to a study by the National Observatory for Telecommunications and the Information Society (ONTSI). ), in collaboration with the Women’s Institute.
Even though they are a minority in the study centers, the recruiters and human resources that are in charge of selecting future workers report very even numbers. “Of all the resumes that companies receive, around 45% are women, when less than five years ago they only reached 5%,” Ana Orihuela, who works in the selection of profiles for different technology companies, explains to EL MUNDO.
A change that has also been confirmed by women such as Theresa Bobis, regional director for Southern Europe of DE-CIX, the largest Internet Exchange operator in the world, who also has more than 25 years of experience in multinationals in the sector. “Since the mid and late nineties, I see more and more women in the different departments and hierarchies. I also see that there are more and more women in management positions,” Bobis tells EL MUNDO.
“There are sectors that still resist, such as technology or mobility. The so-called glass ceiling exists and is more evident when we refer to companies in the technology field,” Isabel García, FREE NOW general director, points out to this publication. Spain, one of the leading mobility apps in Europe.
This increase is also reflected in roles with greater responsibility, but much less, since only 15% of women hold management positions in Spain, according to the Women in Business 2022 report. However, this is not for lack of interest since, within the sector, 30% of Spanish developers would like to be in charge of management tasks and still perceive some discrimination when it comes to assuming responsibility roles, according to the latest study carried out by Codemotion, the reference platform for the professional growth of developers and developers.
This company, founded and led by two women, has a large community of developers whose objective is to give visibility to the situation of women in the technological labor market, as well as advise companies on different initiatives to promote more inclusive environments.
In fact, within the framework of this same analysis, 44.3% of the developers surveyed have aspirations to occupy positions of greater responsibility and thus contribute to strategic decisions. However, many of them today face wage gaps up to the same wages offered by companies in the technology sector. 41.1% of the women surveyed claimed to have received job offers of more than 40,000 euros, compared to 48.5% of men.
“Among the main difficulties that I have encountered during my professional career, the main one has been assumptions. In other words, when you were told ‘girls play with dolls and boys with cars’, without realizing it, I was already creating an image of what you would have to be professionally in the future, even if it was involuntary”, emphasizes García.
“I have been very lucky because in my house we were educated in equality and a lot of emphasis was placed on women having a professional career to be economically independent. The incredible thing is that now that is taken for granted, although you have to continue educating in many areas Society continues to be very decisive and, for this reason, it is so important that a large part of gender roles and biases are eliminated,” adds García.
Both Bobis and García point out that during their professional career they have not encountered concrete obstacles, but they have encountered challenges and a lot of hard work to achieve their goals and advance in their professional career, adapting to technological changes and learning from the new technology that is being implemented. since the ICT sector is constantly evolving.
Although García does emphasize that she has faced prejudice about motherhood. “Many people believe that your professional aspirations end when you are a mother and that is not the case,” she warns. He also insists on the importance of tearing down these prejudices to make it more
easy to the next generations. “In those moments when I was the only woman on the management team, it was very important to remain true to my leadership style and my values, always defending my point of view, in a firm and polite way, demonstrating my experience and talent. It wasn’t always easy,” adds Garcia.
For example, at Free Now, since 2021 they have objectives to promote female talent and leadership and prioritize labor equality in all positions of responsibility. A strategy that works since they currently have 50% women in executive positions.
They also have other initiatives such as joining the European Diversity Charter, an initiative of the European Commission; the creation of communities of employees with similar contexts and at the local level, they carry out workshops on sensitization and awareness of gender equality for taxi drivers who operate in the fleet. A sector that is perceived as masculine when, since the application, they have registered a 220% increase since 2020 in women who work as taxi drivers.
For his part, Bobis, who in addition to Europe, has experience in other markets such as Asia or the US, perceives some differences. As she points out, in the US and Asia there are more opportunities for women in the technology sector, both to access and to reach positions of responsibility more quickly, than in Europe.
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