More men than women in IT? Unesco’s working on IT

According to Unesco, women make up only 29 per cent of the world’s researchers globally, less than 10 per cent of science advisory boards of the world’s top 100 high-tech companies and only 6 per cent of CEOs of IT companies.

Further, it maintains that societies have created a culture that does not encourage girls to pursue scientific and engineering educations or even to express their ambition to do so.

If the UN arm has its way, that will change, with Unesco signing an MoU with Alcatel-Lucent that will see the two organisations work together to promote gender diversity.

“The technology industry – and, indeed, all industries – needs to do much more to promote gender diversity at all levels,” said Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent. “True innovation comes from human diversity creating a diversity of ideas.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s StrongHer, an internal employee network that drives awareness of the issue and launches diversity initiatives within the company, is an example of diversity in action.

Originally started in 2011 as a grassroots movement by six female colleagues in France, StrongHer now has more than 1,000 member in 50 countries and is regularly consulted by company management on diversity and other topics.

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