The OECD report “Bridging the Digital Gender Divide” released in October 2018 reports the stubborn gap between men and women in STEM is evident from an early age and continues through university to the workplace. This report was produced at the request of the Australian Government to support advancement of the 2017 G20 Roadmap for Digitalisation: Policies for a Digital Future.
Numerous speakers at the 2018 Global Meeting of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society agreed this gap needs to be addressed soon if women are to adjust to fast-changing job markets that increasingly require technological skills, or scientific proficiency. Speaker Dr. Ahouansou said men still have a blind spot — not about women in management, but about women in technology. Lindsey Nedesh-Clarke who founded Women’s WorldWide Web (W4), an online crowdfunding platform that promotes girls and women in technology, asserts “It has nothing to do with cognitive abilities, that has been proven. It is about consistent, deeply entrenched stereotypes.”
