Could this be the trick to closing the gender gap?

New research has revealed a specific type of training which could be highly effective in finally evening things out.

Women who are using digital technologies to become more knowledgeable, connected and effective are playing a key role in narrowing the workplace gender gap – according to new research by Accenture

Indeed, the report, Getting to Equal: How Digital is Helping Close the Gender Gap at Work, provides empirical evidence that women are using digital skills to gain an edge in preparing for work, finding work and advancing at work.

“Although gender equality will not happen overnight, investments made in building women’s digital skills — through education, training and on-the-job learning — will help speed their progress at every career stage,” said Jordan Griffiths, Accenture Inclusion & Diversity Lead.

“There are many ways to narrow the gender gap in the workplace, but digital is a particularly powerful avenue.”
The report found that if governments and businesses can double the pace at which women become digitally fluent, gender equality could be achieved in 25 years in developed nations, compared to 50 years at the current pace.

Pierre Nanterme, Accenture’s chairman and chief executive officer, added that women represent an untapped talent pool that can help fill the gap between the skills needed to stay competitive and the talent that’s available.

“There is a clear opportunity for governments and businesses to collaborate on efforts that will empower more women with digital skills – and accelerate gender equality in the workforce,’ he said.

The research also found that Canada is the seventh most digitally fluent country among the 26 countries that were analysed – nations with higher digital fluency among women have higher overall gender equality.

Despite digital fluency helping women advance in their careers, its impact has not closed the gender gap among executives, or extended to pay equality. Men are still the dominant earners by household for all three generations.

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