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Worldwide gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 years

WEF | Natalie Marchant | Jul 14, 2021

women and STEM by the numbers - Worldwide gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 yearsBy the numbers: Women in STEM

Women made up a third (33%) of researchers in 2018 and have achieved parity when it comes to numbers in life sciences in many countries, the report says.

But women make up just 28% of graduates in engineering and 40% of those in computer sciences – skills vital for the jobs of the future, it added.

Female workers also account for just 22% of people working in artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide, although there are regional differences, according to UNESCO.

Countries such as Singapore, Italy and South Africa were leading the way with each having women make up about 28% of professionals with AI skills, compared to just 14% in Brazil, 15% in Mexico, and 16% in both Germany and Poland.

Gender gap at top tech companies

Women are also under-represented at the top of multinational tech companies, despite efforts to close the gender gap in technical and leadership roles, the UNESCO report warns.

Facebook leads the way with women accounting for 23% of technical roles, and 33% of leadership positions.

See:  Women In Fintech Will Play A Crucial Part In The Covid-19 Recovery Plan

Apple has been implementing measures to hire more women and under-represented minorities since 2014, but women still only make up 23% of technical roles and 29% of leadership ones.

Meanwhile, Amazon has been working to correct the gender imbalance since 2018, when it realised that its AI system was not ranking women candidates for software developer and other technical roles.

The online retail giant has since committed $50m to supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes for under-represented communities, but still only 27% of its managers around the world are women.

Women less likely to access funding

Women in science and tech are also less likely than men to access funding.

Start-ups led by women received just 2.3% of venture capital in 2020, according to a report from Harvard Business Review, citing data from Crunchbase.

women founder only funding - Worldwide gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 years

Women in academia were also found to receive less grant funding despite being twice as productive.

And though women account for four in 10 academics globally, they often face an impenetrable glass ceiling, says UNESCO.

Women ‘must not be left behind’ with jobs for the future

In a digitally driven future, advances in technologies such as AI will blur the boundaries between male and female that form the basis of the gender gap, says UNESCO.

See:  Why venture capital firms need more women partners and entrepreneurs

COVID-19 prompted changes in work-life balance and these need to be translated into policies that ensure women do not spend a disproportionate amount of time as unpaid carers, educators and home-makers, it adds.

Women must be given equal access to education and information that will enable them to compete equally with men for the jobs of the future, says UNESCO.

The time it will take to close the worldwide gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 years.

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NCFA Jan 2018 resize - Worldwide gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 to 135.6 years The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

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