Women Leaders for Inclusive Growth Agenda

Zana Pekmez
Senior Strategic Account Technology Strategist
Automatic Summary

Why Closing the Gender Gap Matters: The Power of Women in Tech

Hello everyone! Today we're going to dive into a critical topic – closing the gender gap. Shockingly, it will take us 95 years to close the gender gap, according to statistics from the World Economic Forum. The situation is alarming and was worsened even further during the COVID-19 pandemic, when women were hit particularly hard. Today, we'll explore the role that women in tech can play in lessening this gap and promoting gender equality within the workplace.

Gender Equality: The Problem, The Impact, and The Solution

Gender inequality isn’t a new topic, but its importance grows greater every day as statistics demonstrate a stagnation and even regression in becoming a world where everyone, regardless of gender, has equal opportunities. The latest Sustainable Development Goals can guide us to address these issues and make the world a better place for everyone.

Why Is Gender Equality Important?

Gender equality is one of the Sustainable Development Goals we need to fully embrace and promote. Current statistics highlight that we are far from reaching gender parity, and the need for more concerted efforts has never been more apparent.

Women's Role in Technology

As women in tech, we have the power to contribute to the biggest changes in the industry. By infusing our female perspective into technology strategies and product designs, we can ensure an inclusive and sustainable growth approach.

Facing Challenges and Transforming Them into Opportunities

We must also take the lead in supporting diversity and inclusion within the workplace; create safe and supportive community spaces; engage in sustainable business practices, and celebrate our differences rather than allowing them to cause division.

Challenges Women in Tech Face

Despite the progress we have made, we still grapple with glass ceilings, limited career advancement opportunities, discrimination and underrepresentation in decision-making positions. Often being in the minority, we are faced with unique obstacles that thwart our full participation and hinder our development.

Empowerment Strategies

We can combat these difficulties through the empowerment of each other, creating a culture that values and supports women leadership, and mentoring initiatives specifically designed for women. When given a chance, make sure to promote women, providing the visibility and opportunities they need to excel.

Recommended Call to Action


To make a real change, here are three recommendations: focus on driving innovations and creating inclusive technology solutions; advocate for sustainable policies, and promote international cooperation. Let's use our power as women in tech to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals, make an impact, and, ultimately, close the gender gap.

Conclusion

Finally, remember that your input, ideas and efforts are critical for promoting gender equality, so let's capitalize on the opportunities we have in the tech industry. After all, building an inclusive and equitable tech industry isn't just the right thing to do; it is also smart and strategic. So let’s get started, we have lots of work ahead.

Thank you for your time!


Video Transcription

Promote this idea and contribute to the tangible um results. Hello, everybody in the chat. So let's get started. So did you know, it will take us 95 years to close the gender gap.And uh this is something that is a really serious, the statistics was pulled out from the World Economic Forum. And some of you probably know that the situation even got worse than it was in 1980. The situation worse even uh during the CO uh COVID pandemic where women were hit very hard, especially women at the workplace because they suddenly needed to prioritize the family, the the the childcare and it was very difficult for them um to uh actually uh uh continue working so that the pandemic itself brought us a lot be behind uh our Sustainable Development Goals, especially uh the gender equality goal uh that we uh uh that we had some progress towards.

So this is a serious information and having this in mind. Um You know, let's uh calibrate and approach this motion of how each of us individually can impact uh within our lives um um towards actually uh gender equality uh and at the workplace Right. So I wanted to share this little interesting um statistics, one unfortunate statistics. So the the the session highlights today. What I wanted to start with is the need for increased stroke. Why do we need it? Uh Why do we actually talk about it? Why it is an important topic? Um There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals, goals and many other integrated targets and sub goals, but we cannot talk about all of them. I did my own personal um selection of a few that as women in tech, um um we can make tangible um contribution towards, right? And this is my personal opinion and uh please um I will leave my details afterwards, contact me if you have another opinion. I would love to hear your feedback. What do you think? Um And where do you think we can even have bigger impact um strategies for supporting women leaders are important? So let us discuss, you know, what kind of challenges are we facing in our workplace? And um how can we help uh uh uh improve that and how can we, you know, uh support each other to augment that role and amplify that impact and a simple call to action to all of us. So why the topic at the Woman in Tech conference?

Because uh we are doing and working in our everyday lives on technology strategies. Uh We are designing products, we are working with multifunctional agile teams and we can harmonize that technology through the focal point of uh uh let's say, a broader uh uh goal, a broader strategy, really looking at the welfare of the entire system. And I'll give you an example of that if we are, you know, working on a product. Um that is uh I don't know, a, a model for um uh some sort of access to the uh uh uh to certain application or a certain application. Um Let's uh put in our female perspective there and make sure that that uh product strategy, it's going to market roadmap really reflects um the inclusive aspect. Um And that it will benefit uh the entire well uh welfare uh that being said also applies software development that, you know, we make sure that whatever we develop uh consumes the least energy and it's the um it's the efficient and that we take into account uh multiple sustainable development goals.

So this is why as women in technology for an inclusive world, we can do a lot, right? Because we are at the exit, we are at a really um a key point uh where we can influence these things. So why not take advantage of that? So inclusive economic growth can happen and it is in every hour uh everyday business, right? Um So what is an inclusive economic growth? What, what when we say it's an inclusive economic growth, it, it's, it's the kind of economic activity that benefits all members of society and particularly those that are the disadvantaged and marginalized. So it's not enough to say that it would benefit all. But we have to make sure that we especially benefit those that are currently disadvantaged in our modern life and broaden um at a uh a high level of um individual standard, right? This is why it's very important if we do not take uh in these activities and and promote inclusive economic growth and sustainable development um that can lead to uh uh severe consequences. And, and one of those are strong source of macroeconomic instability where you will have a huge gap between the classes between the uh uh groups. Um And that will, that can really amplify beyond the economic situation to uh negative social consequences.

Um And uh even, even even more critical like wars and other things that we want to um avoid by all means, right? So this is why it's important to always think about this role and how do we do it in our everyday business activity so we can create jobs and training opportunities for marginalized groups, right? Like for example, immigrants, I, I'm an immigrant, I came from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I'm currently living in Austria. I'm not, you cannot say I am, you know, an immigrant uh uh that is uh but you know that it's uh going from a war torn country. I was once Bosnia was in a war but I am at I am that kind of an immigrant that is seeking for um economic opportunity, right? And um I'm always talking to our community. It's so important that we include people like us who are coming to another country, a better, a higher standard country looking for jobs, trying to include them, trying to help them, trying to train them. Um And Microsoft has a great uh right now um Microsoft has a great initiative in Sweden where they are looking at immigrant women and trying to skill them in cybersecurity. And it's so beautiful to listen to the testimonials of these women from all over the world uh being trained. Um And uh being so happy to have an opportunity to develop themselves in further roles, right? So promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace. So this is everything can do that, right?

Making sure that everybody feels safe, everybody feel included in your local support community communities, you create this opportunity and promote social cohesion that, you know, everybody feel a bond, safe place and that um we make sure that um uh uh we really uh help each other, right?

So these are the things that we can do in everyday life, for example, in your children's school, in my children's school in Vienna. Obviously, there are a lot of people who came to Vienna from all over the world. Uh We try to kind of um uh celebrate our differences, uh make sure that we bond around our differences and not to uh you know, uh make them visible or put a gap uh uh behind us based on that, right, practice responsible and sustainable business practices and men then, but when we are evaluating the certain strategy, we make sure that that according to the green software principles that it's done according to the circular economy principles that, you know, the the the the three hours recycle um reuse.

Um and I together. But uh so this is very important that we, that we, how we can manage this in everyday life. I have to be a little bit um faster. Of course, from the woman perspective, we, we are do, we can bring a lot, right? We bring this diverse perspective. We have more empathy, we know how to um uh how to emphasize this and how to really kind of weave this into our everyday activity. Um We have a strong focus on collaboration, our leadership style. This is what, what, what, what I see every day, right? We are addressing gender inequality, my workplace. I'm openly speaking about, you know, um uh this subject uh we, our focus is on innovation and creativity, empowerment and always economic benefits, right? Uh We need to make sure that we are all equally paid and that we can um uh that we also pointed and address this in everyday conversation with our leadership. Um And uh with the decision makers, uh I will not spend too much time on this, right? Uh Because I do mention sustainable development goals and now from this uh uh canvas, I will extrapolate those that are, that I think are the most relevant for us as women in tech, right? And where we can really make the impact. Um So you are familiar with this and this, these are the the the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that have also sub goals and move from path uh um within them, they are of course that by diet nations.

Um and um they all have a specific target that we want to achieve. Um So when I think about priorities, sustainable development goals, I put here, do these five, which I think are also first, personally, very dear to my heart, but also the ones that I think uh uh us as women in, in tech, in the in the leadership position and, and also uh overall uh we can make a difference, right?

So uh decent work and economic growth. And I think to my presentation up to now, you, you probably get a gist of how uh this this can work. The industry, innovation and infrastructure. Yes, because this is we are creating technology strategy, we are uh creating uh business strategies, we are creating products, we are designing products, we are delivering those products, right? Uh reduced inequalities. Of course, this is the the the the actions that we do every day.

Uh peace justice and strong institutions, uh maybe not. So intuitive, how can women insect contribute? But I think we can because uh we can advocate for many policies, for example, and these policies are leading to this diversity and inclusion. They are also leading uh to building a safe place for women feet at the work place or in the family and partnership for the goals, partnership, especially between the public and the private sector. Because we all work with the organizations that are either in the pub public sector or in the private sector or we work for the Nongovernmental Organization that um that have as the goal to bring these two worlds together and, and make most outlets, right? Um and how we can contribute, right? I think this is probably the one slide that, you know, if you ask me what, what is most important slide in your presentation? I would say this one, right? Because this is this is the slide that in these five areas in these five categories of sustainable development goals uh is how we can make a concrete, right? So, uh with the decent work and economic growth, we can drive innovations and create new solutions. We can support entrepreneurship.

It doesn't matter whether it's female entrepreneurship or male entrepreneurship, bringing new ideas and innovating constantly or incrementally is very important for this specific goal, increasing productivity, whether we, we create it in our own uh team in, in the department, in the organization, always think about how we can increase productivity and reduce space with industry innovation infrastructure, we are developing, implementing inclusive technologies, right?

We are promoting sustainable industrial practicing and we can encourage, encourage and promote promoting stem education for women, right? This is also very important reducing inequalities. We already talked about it. But also what what I would like to mention besides the advocating for inclusive and mentoring is bridging the digital divide mean that and this is not only in the gender equality, but also if you think about inclusive, there is a big uh uh digital divide in the country between the countries between the region, right?

So that we have that we make technology and education accessible to everybody with the peace. Uh It's uh justice and strong institution. It's advocating for inclusive and safe spaces and workplaces and enhancing government transparency and accountability. So advocating for those practices uh and principles and for partnership, of course, it's always promoting international Cooper Operation uh really acting as a global citizen beyond uh that bound and without the bank. Um I think my time is probably um um go coming to an end. Uh Is anybody going to tell me um that I am OK. Or I just, so we face many challenges and I think I am still in the session, we face many challenges. Um And this is why this test is extremely hard for us, right? Uh It's, it's not very easy. Uh We are normally or very very frequently not um un understood or not supported. Thank you so much. I think I had to go. Uh We have um we have a glasses and limited uh opportunities for career advancement. Usually we don't sit at the table and it's hard for us to become a decision maker. Uh We very often we get discriminated uh in the leadership position and maybe a, a quite important uh uh here, a message from my side is sometimes it's not only for us to be just a woman, right? It's not about the gender, but it's all about status.

You know, being an immigrant coming from a different country, uh being woman of color, being, and I cannot identify that, but I can identify that being a woman being a not native woman in the country where it's extremely hard um uh you know, to get those leadership positions and, and uh you know, have a seat at the table.

Um So we need to fight and we, we can do that by empowering one another. So here I appeal uh uh to, to all of you to support each other and to really use every single opportunity uh to help uh each other on, on this journey. Um My last slide is about strategies and I think I talked about that um improve uh uh access to education, mentoring, especially for women, uh promote women in the workplace when you have a chance promote women. Uh make sure that um you know, women get the opportunity to show their competence that's also important, right? Even uh uh and that then, then the promotion will naturally come. But women need that visibility, need that opportunity. Um creating the culture that values and support women leadership.

That means you influence your uh um uh uh peers that they um actually uh become men allies, right? That's also very important. Um And um maybe because I have one more minute, I will just leave you with one last slide um call to action. So out of everything I've said, and there are so many ways how we can make impact. These three are the the ones that I would like to leave you with, right? Driving innovations and creating new solutions, inclusive technology innovation, everything that can really attribute to the sustainable development goals, advocate for sustainable policies and this is really wide and promote International Cooper Operation. This is really important for the global impact. Thank you so much. Thank you very much.

I believe this is the end of my presentation.