#WomenInTechSpain promotes ending the workforce's digital gender gap

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

Only 3% of graduates in higher education are linked to technological studies, according to data from the report 'Women in the Digital Economy' conducted by the Spanish Association for Digitalization (DigitalES). The digital transformation poses a great number of challenges for companies, citizens, public administrations, society, and especially for women.

The technology sector is one of those that will mark the future of humanity - in fact, it already has a large demand for uncovered work: there are approximately 10,000 jobs for which there are no candidates and salaries are 22% higher than other sectors, according to DigitalES data. The European Commission has stated that 500,000 new jobs will be needed for the development of this digital economy for which there are no candidates.

Women are underrepresented in this sector, but the incorporation of women into this sector is necessary, through inclusive practices in the sector, the transversality of technology in education or promoting the vocation of technological careers in women. In any case, the difficulty is not to enter the digital world, but to get to occupy the managerial positions, only 23 of the 250 unicorns in the world are led by girls.

What can be done to make girls and women consider having a career in the digital sector? It's a question that Valeria Domínguez, senior engineer in industrial robotics with an Executive MBA from Harvard University, sought to solve when she decided to found #WomenInTechSpain with the aim of promoting greater female leadership in the top management and administration boards; and to end once and for all the digital divide.

#WomenInTechSpain emerged from the need to create a space in which women with the same age and ambitions could share dreams, knowledge and savoir faire. Men have natural meeting spaces such as football, but women do not and least the directives of the digital sector. The initial objective of #WomenInTechSpain is to be a reference for the young women who today are deciding what to study, what to become and what it means to be a woman; in addition to:

• Increase the visibility of female talent in the digital sector.
• Achieve greater female and digital representation in boards of directors.
• Promote new models of career paths for women and thus inspire those of younger generations.
• Help more girls choose to study engineering.
• Promote female entrepreneurship in the digital sector and its connection with financing through venture capital.

This group of digital executives is intended to encourage the talent of its members, allow them to develop new skills or improve those already acquired through monthly meetings held since last September and plan to continue for a full year.

"The mission of all the great women that make up this group is to end the digital divide. We want to contribute our bit to the problem of girls not choosing science and engineering when they decide their professional future," says Valeria Domínguez, Founder and Leader of #WomenInTechSpain. To which she adds: "We need to support each other, break with stereotypes and put in value female strong figures in the digital sector, to serve as an example. Women should see technology as a great source of opportunities and not be afraid of it."

#WomenInTechSpain is the first digital talent accelerator formed by a group of digital executives who seek to be the spark of new and relevant professional ties:

• Valeria Domínguez, Founder & CEO of Felino.
• Marisol Menéndez, Chief Open Innovation Officer at South Summit - Spain Startup.
• Alicia Richart, General Director of Asociación Digitales.
• Patricia Benito, Chief Digital and Business Officer of Openbank and General Director of Open Digital Services.
• Cristina López Pancorbo, Womenswear Digital Director of El Corte Inglés.
• Clara Gutierrez, Managing Partner & CEO of StepOne Ventures.
• Esther Checa, Head of Innovation of T2O Media.
• Coro Saldaña, Fashion Lead Iberia by Accenture.

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

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