Celebrating International Women’s Day
Advancing gender equality in the digital world
#IWD2020, #EachforEqual
We are living through a transformation in the world of work. Automation and “thinking machines” are replacing human tasks and jobs, and changing the skills that organisations need to be successful. In this time of rapid change, how can organisations make sure all their employees – regardless of gender – have the chance to succeed? They will need to keep a relentless focus on gender diversity while upskilling their people. Achieving gender equality is all about equal opportunity. Equal opportunities for people to learn new skills, progress their careers and reach their full potential.
Women and technology
More women than ever before are choosing the fast-growing technology sector as a pathway to career success. But despite efforts by technology companies and governments alike to increase female representation in technology, women occupy only 30% of jobs in the tech industry on average across the G7.
How can organisations promote opportunities for women in the technology industry throughout the career life cycle? We’ve identified four key focus areas:
- Develop the pipeline of female tech talent by encouraging girls and young women to study STEM subjects at school.
- Foster an inclusive workplace culture by promoting networking groups and mentoring schemes.
- Attract women into the industry by ensuring that job descriptions are gender-neutral and recruitment teams are gender-balanced. Where applicable, set targets for the number of women on vacancy shortlists.
- Provide opportunities for development, for example by implementing retraining and returner programmes and creating alternative hiring pathways to allow employees to move into different roles.
How PwC is encouraging women and girls into tech and STEM
Supporting the upskilling of women in India
The PwC India Foundation and Hope for the Children Foundation are collaborating to empower women from marginalised backgrounds in order to make them financially independent.
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The next-generation Female leadership programme
Our Japanese firm collaborated with SKY LABO to promote STEAM education and created a workshop for junior high and high school female students to come up with solutions to social issues in Japan.
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Building the skills of underprivileged women
PwC South Africa is providing business and entrepreneurial skills to women from previously disadvantaged communities through the Business Skills South Africa (BSSA). This was extended further with the Faranani Rural Women Training initiative.
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Busting the myths about women and digital
What are some of the myths around women and digital and what actions can organisations take to bust them? This was the focus of a workshop at PwC Switzerland’s Experience Centre in Zurich, where over 60 leaders from the public and private sectors came up with 100 practical actions.
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Encouraging women and girls into tech careers
Our UK firm has brought together over 100 organisations who are committed to increasing the number of women working in technology roles in the country. The Tech She Can® Charter runs many initiatives, from influencing policy at government level, to developing and distributing female-friendly tech lessons for schoolchildren, and creating an image overhaul for technology careers.
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Upskilling for the digital world
AI and new technologies such as robotics, drones and driverless vehicles could displace jobs for women, but can also create new ones. PwC analysis finds that fewer female jobs are expected to be lost from automation relative to jobs lost for the male population in the OECD, but the gains from job creation are likely to be bigger for men than women. The health and social care sector, the largest employer of women in the OECD, is expected to experience a net increase in female employment as a result of technology.
As workers are increasingly impacted by automation, a recent PwC global survey found that more than half of workers globally believe that automation will either significantly change or make their job obsolete within the next decade. It is therefore vital that governments and businesses work together to offer more training in digital skills and STEM subjects, and support retraining into other jobs in sectors where the “human touch” is crucial.
Learn about PwC’s New world. New skills. programme which aims to help upskill millions of people around the world.
Women and innovation
To mark International Women’s Day 2020, we asked some of our female leaders around the world to share what innovation means to them.
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“Policymakers and businesses have a key role to play in helping people, including women, adapt to technological change throughout their working lives. With the right interventions, everyone including women can benefit from the gains in productivity from technology and automation.”
A conversation on gender and mental health
During the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos earlier this year, Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, and Bob Moritz, Chairman of the PwC Network, spoke about gender and mental health issues at The Equality Lounge, hosted by the Female Quotient.
Watch the webcast to hear their take on how mental health in the workplace might be different for women than men, and what organisations can do to support their people.
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