One of the challenges we continually face as a company is to achieve an equal presence of men and women in our teams. This is one of the priorities that the People & Culture department has been working on for years, which is why the Equality Plan was launched in 2018. However, despite our efforts, the number of women at Emergya today stands at 31% of the total.

But this is not just Emergya's problem. According to ONTSI, women represent only 19.8% of the professionals working in the IT sector. Therefore, in most of the companies dedicated to this industry, there are more men than women. Although this figure is slightly higher than the European average (18.5%), it is still very low. If we look at the field of training, although women university graduates make up 55% of the total, only 13% choose IT careers in Spain. 

It is difficult to find a single reason for the low presence of women in technical careers. Some studies attribute it to the lack of female role models in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers. In this sense, increasing the visibility of women in these professions can help future generations of girls to opt for the technology sector. As a consequence, many of our actions included in the Equality Plan are aimed at this objective.

New ideas for a persistent problem

Achieving equal representation of men and women in the technology sector is not only Emergya's problem and therefore the solution does not only depend on us. We are aware that many more institutions and social actors need to be involved. That is why we did not hesitate when we were invited by Andalucía Emprende and Fundación Pablo de Olavide to participate in the first #HackathonUPOemprende. This online event proposed nine student teams to solve a challenge related to one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls". This was the SDG chosen by Emergya for the participants to develop an innovative business idea that would finally break the lack of women in the technology sector. 

Projects to increase the presence of women in IT

The projects proposed by the teams addressed different issues such as social inclusion, sustainability, environment, mentoring and training. In short, all the initiatives provided different ways to reach out to the women we need in our companies.

Within the short time available, the teams presented updated data, which they verified and cross-checked by conducting surveys with target audiences. They also provided a financial estimate and a business model and even designed a logo and an explanatory video. This approach was highly appreciated considering the complexity of the challenge and the limited time available. 

However, only one of the participating groups could win the prize. And, the initiative that seemed most viable and exciting to the jury was CODEM, a digital scout with software that is based on overcoming challenges to detect the technological talent of the candidates and connect them with professionals and companies in the sector.