UK launches taskforce to 'break down barriers' for women in technology
59 minutes ago Share Save Liv McMahon Technology reporter Share Save
DSIT The group contains some of the most prominent women in UK tech, including Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, BT Group boss Allison Kirkby and Dr Hayaatun Sillem,
The government has launched a new taskforce it says will help women "enter, stay and lead" in the UK tech sector. Led by technology secretary Liz Kendall, it will see female leaders from tech companies and organisations advise the government on how to boost diversity and economic growth in the industry. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, recently suggested women accounted for only 22% of those working in IT specialist roles in the UK. Ms Kendall said the Women in Tech group would "break down the barriers that still hold too many people back".
"When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone," she said. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, warned in December the amount of women working in the UK tech sector still lagged far behind men. It said the government should look to help close the gender gap in order to meet its ambitious AI goals. "We cannot create high-trust, high-integrity AI systems if the profession behind them is missing out on the talents and perspective of half the population," said chief executive Sharron Gunn. Ms Kendall will lead the taskforce alongside Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of Stemettes, who has been appointed as the Women in Tech Envoy. Dr Imafidon, who passed A-level computing aged 11 and received a Master's Degree in Maths and Computer Science from the University of Oxford aged 20, has sought to encourage more young women into careers in Stem - science, technology, engineering and maths. She told the BBC her role would build on more than a decade of work to establish greater equality for - and representation of - women. But now, amid what she called "a fourth industrial revolution", was a key moment to "be part of shifting who is making those decisions for what comes next". "This isn't just about having women being the driving force and building the technology, but this is about building technology that benefits everybody," she said.
'Equality long overdue'