FEATURE
ACCELERATING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Charis Thomas , Chief Product Officer at Aqilla
International Women ’ s Day has been celebrated for over a century , with deep roots in women ’ s suffrage and the labour movement . Each year , different events take place globally , including marches , exhibitions and debates , all with the aim to bring focus to gender equality issues .
With this year ’ s International Women ’ s Day fast approaching on March 8 , it is more important than ever to take a look at gender equality in the workplace . This year ’ s theme is ‘ Accelerate Action ’, with the aim to focus on speeding up the progress towards equality for women .
Despite good progress in previous years , gender equality figures have actually begun to regress , particularly in the technology sector . Since peaking at 14 % in 2022 , the worldwide percentage of women leaders in tech companies has now dropped to a concerning 5 %. This is even more worrying now that large companies are starting to remove DEI policies from their organisational practices . More barriers seem to be rising again in the workplace for women , therefore it ’ s crucial that more is done to counteract this .
Breaking out of the minority
Women , particularly in the tech industry , can often find themselves in the minority due to its male-dominated nature . Charis Thomas , Chief Product Officer at Aqilla , notes how this can feel off-putting : “ Being in the minority can feel intimidating , but focusing on delivering quality work helps create commonality . Like anyone , you eventually find your tribe .”
She said : “ The gender pay gap persists in many industries , partly due to historical cultural norms and because of factors like maternity leave . Not-for-profits such as Women in Tech , Girls Who Code and Tech She Can do great work encouraging women to enter science and technology fields . Change is happening , driven
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