Photo credit: Martin Fjellanger
“It’s called vetenskapsMÄN!” exclaims a frustrated key informant in Programmed Out: The Gender Gap in Technology in Scandinavia, a new report commissioned by Plan International with support from Telenor. She is referring to how the word for scientist in Swedish – “vetenskapsman” – is by definition male, “science man”.
She has a point: the gendered word reflects an entrenched inequality in Scandinavia.
We live in a digital world. Half of the global population is online, and almost every aspect of our economic, political and social existence is digitalized.
Yet the majority of those online are men and the creators of digital technologies are also overwhelmingly male. Across the world, girls and women have less access to digital technologies than boys and men, lower skills in using these technologies, and they are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers. This is what’s called the digital gender divide.
The divide looks different in different parts of the world. For girls and young women in many low- and middle-income countries key challenges are access and digital literacy. Cost of devices and data, lack of digital skills, and gender stereotypes keep girls and women from going online. The gender gap in mobile internet use is 58% in South Asia, and 41% in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the GSMA.
But this is not a “developing country” problem. This is a global problem.
Scandinavia is often seen as the cradle of gender equality, yet girls and women in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are also on the wrong side of the digital gender divide. While access and ability to use digital technologies are not central problems, the fact is that Scandinavian countries have some of the largest gender gaps in the world in terms who creates technology.
This has been called the “gender equality paradox”: the more “gender equal” a country is, the larger the gender gap in STEM education and careers. Whilst Norway, Sweden and Denmark average a 30-35% female share of STEM graduates, in Algeria over 50% are women, and Oman and Morocco are not too far behind. According to one explanation for this, (some) lower-income countries have a higher rate of female STEM students because there is more of a financial incentive for parents to direct girls down this route due to the high financial return and income security careers in this sector bring. This need for financial stability is less prominent in high-income countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden, hence their lower rates of female STEM graduates as gender stereotypes regarding which gender is more “suitable” for technology play a more prominent social role.
Plan’s new report highlights the barriers created by negative gender stereotypes that keep girls and women from pursuing tech careers. In addition to expert and key informant interviews, the authors surveyed 172 girls and women across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark for their views on gender and tech in their countries. Key findings in the study show that 78% of survey respondents believe that girls and women considering a career in technology are faced with negative gender stereotypes that act as barriers to their engagement in tech. Underlying attitudes and the lack of challenge to these attitudes by teachers and parents are seen as contributory factors to the prevalence of these stereotypes. In addition, 62% of survey respondents believe that it is more difficult for girls to begin studying technology-related subjects as the courses themselves are so male dominated.
Other research corroborates these views. The consequence has been a perpetual lack of young women entering the tech sector, resulting in significant skills shortages, stagnant growth and inequality of opportunity. The lack of diversity among the creators of technology also risks the creation of biased technology, and indeed a digital future where tech itself entrenches gender inequality by reinforcing existing patriarchal structures. As noted by a key informant to the study, “We need women to design this digital world because it's primarily designed by men for men… imagine if we had diversity in the way we design IT… what value that would bring to us.”
If we are to achieve gender equality in the world of the fourth industrial revolution, we need to bridge the digital gender gap - including in countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
A first step to doing so may in fact be to accept that the gap exists in Scandinavia too. The widespread perception that Norway, Sweden and Denmark have already reached peak gender equality is likely part of the reason that the gender divide in tech there is yet to be overcome. As found in Plan’s report, initiatives directly seeking to address the disparity between men and women in technological fields in Scandinavia are often met with confusion, disbelief and, sometimes, anger.
Yet they are necessary. And while there are no silver bullets to bridging the digital gender gap in Scandinavia, there are steps that can – and should – taken. If we want to achieve gender equality – now and in the future – denial is not an option.
Four ways to bridge the digital gender divide in Scandinavia
Bridging the digital gender divide in Scandinavia will require concerted and intentional efforts by diverse actors across the educational system, civil society, and tech companies to truly address the problem. Below are four key recommendations based on the research into “what works” in terms of getting girls and women into tech conducted for the report Programmed Out: The Gender Gap in Technology in Scandinavia, commissioned by Plan International with support from Telenor.
Disrupt gender stereotypes.
Gendered norms and expectations about who is suited for an education or career in digital technology are embedded within Scandinavian society. To get more girls and women into the tech sector, we need to disrupt these at a number of different levels.
For children up until the age of 12, organize mixed gender STEM activities that specifically aim to bring boys and girls together to jointly work on technological projects in order to break down gender stereotypes and build confidence and enthusiasm.
For older girls, for whom stereotypes that tech is "not for girls" have already become entrenched, it may be more suitable to organize single sex activities. This will enable young women to build a strong female peer group within STEM and reduce stereotype threat - however, care should be taken not to reinforce tired ‘feminine’ stereotypes within these by e.g. stressing “design” elements over code and algorithms
Considering the influence of parents and teachers on girls’ decision to follow a digital technology pathway consider creating and/or supporting initiatives that target these role models rather than girls themselves – i.e. a day for computing and STEM teachers where they can build confidence and gain knowledge on how to motivate young women to pursue tech and STEM.
Improve tech education in schools.
Educators have a key role in bridging the digital gender gap. Yet they too can perpetuate gender stereotypes, contributing to girls lacking confidence in their own abilities. It is therefore key to:
Support educators to engage with young people of all genders on this issue and proactively seek to address the gender imbalance in tech as male dominance can be off-putting for girls who are interested in the subject.
Increase project-based group work that connects STEM to real-world issues through creative means as this can be particularly appealing to girls.
Increase opportunities for girls to explore technology outside of school.
Alongside positive experiences in the classroom, opportunities to explore technology and science outside of school can also inspire more young women to pursue a future in this area. 54% of respondents to the survey carried out for the report selected this category as helpful for encouraging more girls to pursue this path.
Create, and/or support existing, extracurricular digital tech/STEM activities for girls, such as coding clubs
Partner with universities to establish opportunities for girls in school to learn about STEM studies at university and meet current female students.
Support young women’s career paths into technology.
Research indicates availability of role models and mentorship can have a significant positive impact on getting girls into tech. Almost 80% of respondents taking the survey conducted for the report indicated that the opportunity to meet role-models studying or working in this field is helpful in getting girls and young women to pursue this path.
Establish long-term one-to-one mentorship schemes with high-frequency mentor-mentee communication to provide much needed role-models and support for girls wanting to get into tech. Online mentoring using video calls may be an effective way of ensuring wider participation beyond urban centres.
Partner with universities and tech companies to create careers networks where young women in STEM can meet women working in the sector, build networks and find job opportunities.
You can access the full report here, and read about Telenor's engagement in the project here.