Why we all need to be champions of gender diversity in tech

I am passionate about the importance of diversity in technology for two reasons. Firstly, I’m ultra-competitive and I think what when you have more diverse perspectives in a team, you ask better questions and reach better answers; that makes you a better business, and allows you to win in your market. Secondly, I have two daughters, and I see technology as being very important to their futures, as well as the futures of other girls their age around the world.

Unfortunately, gender diversity in tech is a huge problem today. While women make up nearly half the workforce globally, they hold just a quarter of jobs in tech and just 10% of executive-level positions in the industry. This disparity is only likely to worsen given that the number of technology and data related jobs continues to rise, yet women are less likely than men to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at university.

Fortunately, I work for an organization that shares my passion for closing the gender gap in tech. Rather than just vying with other businesses to recruit from a limited pool of female tech talent, EY also set out to proactively disrupt the supply chain for female tech talent at a much earlier point. As part of EY’s Women in Technology movement, we launched the EY STEM Tribe app to encourage girls aged 13-18 to pursue STEM learning and careers.

Points mean prizes

To date, EY STEM Tribe has been a pilot project for 3,000 girls in Delhi, Seattle and Atlanta. The app makes use of gamification and features curated content from NASA, the National Academy of Sciences, The Smithsonian and a host of other reputable organizations. Its modules cover subjects such as climate change, space exploration, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The girls learn by experience and by doing. As they take actions along a learning journey, they demonstrate their knowledge and, in some cases, are tested on it.

In total, the girls on the pilot have generated and delivered nearly a million minutes of action, learning and demonstrable experience in STEM. They have also earned points that they can redeem against ‘fun’ rewards, such as tablets, ‘important’ rewards such as internships, and ‘lasting’ rewards, which are donations to charitable organizations that are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, all the learning actions relate to one or more of the SDGs. So, by learning on EY STEM Tribe, the girls are not just making a positive difference to their own future, they are also making a positive difference to the world.

What’s next?

The feedback on EY STEM Tribe so far has been great. The overwhelming majority of girls (98.5%) say they have enjoyed the experience of using the platform. EY has also received appreciative letters from teachers because the app remained available for girls to continue their education during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they could not always access in-person learning or the infrastructure to support traditional remote learning.

What’s more, the pilot has also attracted a lot of interest from both the business and the education communities. Recently, I was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss EY STEM Tribe during a session on the Future of Sustainability Education at the Nobel Prize Summit 2021.

The project has an ambitious target to extend the platform to 100,000 girls globally by 2022. Plans include expanding its geographic footprint and adding great new themes to the curriculum. The ambition is to integrate art and design content, as well as socio-economic learning, along with new channels. The functionality will continue to be upgraded based on the feedback from the cohorts of girls using the app.

As well as gender diversity, it’s crucial to encourage other types of diversity within tech. Diversity of age, background, experience and ethnicity are all key – as is neurodiversity, which I have written about before. EY STEM Tribe aligns well with other initiatives that EY has underway to promote diversity and inclusion while making a positive social and environmental contribution to the world. These initiatives include the EY Ripples corporate responsibility program and the ambition to achieve net zero by 2025.

Call to action

My vision for EY STEM Tribe has always been to start with one of the most pressing diversity issues in tech – gender parity – and then use the platform to foster diversity in tech more broadly. What I’ve found really encouraging is the enthusiastic reaction from our clients and alliance partners in wanting to collaborate with us in this space. They’ve been particularly keen to support the activities and incentives offered within the app itself. Many organizations are similar to EY in that they want to push for change and different outcomes regarding gender parity in tech.

I believe that every technology leader today can – and should – be instrumental in encouraging diverse talent to thrive in their workforce.  This is a team sport and we all have a choice to watch from the sidelines or get in the game. Leaders need to step up, captain a team, engage with ecosystem partners, and push to make a real difference. As I said at the start, I’m a competitor – and I know that diversity is the way to win in business.