I think we’d all agree that the UK is an enterprising, technologically savvy and forward-thinking nation – so it really surprises me that there are still so few women who hold senior roles in the technology sector.
Debra Charles, CEO of Novacroft, talks about the importance of recognising and promoting the equal contribution of women and girls in the sciences, as well as how we can (and should) encourage greater participation of females and aid their career development.
SMEs throughout the nation should adopt a progressive approach and voluntarily sign up to be part of any and all future gender pay gap plans, as full disclosure is a bare minimum for a group that accounts for over half of private sector jobs.
Steve Cook, CEO of Empire HR, suggested the high volume of employment tribunal awards for sex discrimination in January was proof that illegal practices in the workplace continued to have a major impact on employers.
In 2013 the results of a study by netmums showed one in three women felt they were overlooked for promotion because they were at a childbearing age, and three years later, new research shows such women are still too scared to make complaints about it.
In a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report on gender equality in the workplace, the UK was placed 18th in an international ranking, raising the question of what we need to do to compete with international peers. At our annual First Women Summit, experts discussed the best practices from around the world which could help answer this and close the gap.
A panel at our First Women Summit 2016, supported by the CBI, tried to tackle the issue of whether females sometimes needed to turn a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour in order to further the case of women in business.
Hasbro came under fire in January upon launch of its Star Wars Monopoly set for excluding new female heroine Rey, who joined the sci-fi franchise in new film The Force Awakens. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of its rival, Mattel has expanded its Barbie Fashionistas line to include three new body types and a variety of appearances.
easyJet has set course to prove the sky is the limit without a glass ceiling in place by introducing the Amy Johnson Flying Initiative, which is designed to boost the number of women taking on the role of commercial airline pilot.
By Mark Soden
The Consumer Electrics Show (CES) showcased the newest products to 170,000 industry members and tech press, highlighting innovative trends for 2016,. However, one key issue blatantly exhibited was the lack of gender diversity within the sector.
