Commission starts tracking gender gap in digital economy

The European Commission has launched an annual analysis of progress in promoting women’s participation in the digital economy, saying that “astonishing” inequalities persist.

Only about 17 per cent of specialist computer staff across the EU are women, and the few women who do work in the area “astonishingly” earn almost 20 per cent less than men, the European Commission said when launching its first Women in Digital scoreboard on 10 December.

“Governments, companies, educators and civil society need to take decisive actions to change this trend,” said the digital economy commissioner Mariya Gabriel. The scoreboard will show national and institutional policymakers where to focus their efforts, she said.