Women are the most untapped resource in technology today, but they continue to be underrepresented in the field and risk being left behind altogether, according to Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder and CEO of Women in Tech® and Social Brain®. Aoki, a former South African now based in France, delivered a keynote address on the second day of the Trialogue Business in Society Virtual Conference, speaking under the banner of the day’s theme, ‘ICT for gender empowerment’. She pointed out that there were more women represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) five decades ago than today, with cultural norms, unconscious bias, online or offline harassment and a lack of self-confidence as contributing factors.
“We must add more women to the technology sector if we want them to play an integral role in the ecosystem and strengthen the whole industry,” she asserted, pointing out that tech is becoming the force behind every single industry; driving innovation, opportunity and growth in fields like manufacturing, farming and finance. “Technology is the future of work,” she asserted.
Pandemic an historic opportunity to involve more women in tech
Crucially, products and services are being developed by men for men, so women’s perspectives are frequently overlooked. “A good example is the fact that we have about 230 million pregnancies in the world every year, but there are no car seatbelts designed for pregnant women,” she pointed out. “The single largest cause of maternal death is car accidents. Even women who are not pregnant have a 70% higher chance of being injured in a crash than a man because engineers have designed seatbelts as if women are small men. This is why women need to be involved in decision-making and innovation – in every single industry.”
She indicated that the gender gap in technology prevents women from playing a full role in shaping the future of society. Women currently account for only 23% of the STEM professionals working in South Africa, with only 17% of those filling leadership positions – and the statistics are worse for women of colour.
For Aoki, the digital acceleration fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic presents a historic opportunity to involve more women in tech – and she urged companies to empower, upskill and reskill women to prepare them for the future of work. “This will allow them to work remotely, become financially independent, open their own businesses and become part of the technology economy,” she said.
Enabling progression from classroom to boardroom
Fixing this ‘leaky pipeline’ will involve educating and mentoring girls from an early age and creating a safe, welcoming environment for them that will enable a smooth transition from classroom to boardroom. “Education is key, but the crucial age is between 12 and 14, which is when young women are most inclined to drop out of STEM,” she said. “It is important for companies to focus on this and provide them with information about possible jobs, as well as give them access to mentorship and role models. Women who are mentored feel more supported and have the personal confidence to achieve their dreams.”
Reskilling women in the workplace is vital, as is providing them with opportunities to climb the career ladder. However, significant barriers exist. “Currently, South African women in the STEM workforce earn 28% less than their male colleagues, which means they have to work for two-and-a-half more hours a day to earn the same salary at the end of the month,” Aoki said. “It is absurd to have salary disparity and discrimination in the workplace in 2021.”
She concluded by saying that future-proofing job opportunities for women will help to ensure sustainable communities worldwide. “When you empower a woman, you empower a whole community and a whole nation,” she said. “When women rise, we all rise.”
Written by Fiona Zerbst
Image: Gugulethu Mfuphi, Ayumi Moore Aoki
Photo taken by Janelle Strydom
