In Barcelona, ??the demand for professionals for technology companies is growing at a rate of 35% and, despite being a masculinized sector, it is also a job opportunity for women. This was defended this Wednesday by several technologists during the second day of the Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week, the event that promotes gender equality in the economy organized by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB).
“Companies that have more women sell more, break negative biases and generate more stable teams,” said Telefónica’s talent incorporation specialist, Teresa Aznar. However, she acknowledged that incorporating female profiles is not easy. She argued that according to a study by the Engineering Observatory, in Spain there are only 20% women among all engineers. During the same presentation, moderated by the director of the Fundación Telefónica 42 campus, Humert Ruiz, it was stated that there are only 10% of female programmers. “Companies must go beyond the law and the creation of equality plans,” said Aznar, highlighting the importance of measures that facilitate family conciliation and “bias training.”
“Barcelona is a good hub to make female talent visible,” said BiMetrics co-founder Mar Masulli. She has created three startups and believes that these types of firms have “fantastic possibility and responsibility” in the field of inclusion.
Another of the speakers, Anna Mercado, is the founder of Redlollygames. At 28 years old, she has already gone through some professional recycling processes. She started in hospitality and is now a technology professional. “Female communities are very important. When you arrive at a job, perhaps you are the only one on the team,” she stated. “It is a very good time to study. The sector has space for us,” she highlighted. Ruiz agreed: “Digital transformation is an opportunity for female incorporation at any age.”
For the executive director of strategic sectors and talent at Barcelona Activa, Sara Díaz, the public administration must “make visible” success stories to “create references and break stereotypes.” According to her, the most important element in professional recycling processes is training, which must be financially accessible and flexible in terms of schedules. “It is complex to work 40 hours and pay for studies and rent,” Mercado stated.