S2 Grupo boosts the presence of women in the workforce to reach 26% by 2028

On the International Day of Girls in ICT, from S2 Grupo we want to announce the implementation of measures to boost the presence of women experts in ICT in our workforce and with the goal of reaching at least 26% in 2028.

Currently, the overall presence of women in engineering in Spain is 20%, while their presence in the S2 Grupo team reaches 22%.

According to a study by the Spanish Engineering Observatory, women represent 55% of the student body in public universities. Of these, only 20% have a presence in the field of engineering. And of this small group, 16% opt for Computer Engineering and 19% for Industrial Engineering.

Miriam Vitón, Director of the Talent Management Department at S2 Grupo, explained that despite the under-representation of women in higher studies in Computer Science, it should be noted that female participation is increasing and there are already 11,129 women enrolled in this type of study. Although they are only 16.2%, they represent almost 80% more than 6 years ago and we should know that they have better performance indicators, both in terms of success rate and performance, and even in the time it takes to complete the degree.

He has also indicated that achieving gender parity will take more than a century on a global scale. It is not, therefore, an exclusively Spanish problem. Although, of course, this gap exists in the Spanish digital ecosystem and we have to solve it. In 2022, women represented 24.74% of the ICT sector. In highly specialized areas, such as those related to the data world, women represent less than 10%. While in others such as cybersecurity or Artificial Intelligence, it is still merely testimonial. This requires the involvement of everyone to find solutions.

It is essential to boost the increase of female talent in IT and cybersecurity teams for several reasons:

1. The gender gap in the ICT sector reflects deeply rooted inequalities in society. Addressing this gap is a crucial step towards equal opportunities and empowerment of women in all walks of life.
2. The IT and cybersecurity sector faces a severe talent shortage in many fields (according to INE data, in the digital sphere, 61% of companies looking for ICT specialists in 2022 had difficulty filling their vacancies). By opening the doors to more highly qualified women, it expands the pool of available talent and better addresses the growing demand for skilled professionals in technology and digital security.
3. It will help bring different perspectives and approaches to software development and cybersecurity management.
4. Traditionally, women have been underrepresented in the IT sector. Promoting the inclusion of women in technology roles is not only a matter of equity, but also helps to create a more diverse and representative sector of society at large.
5. Gender diversity in the workplace contributes to a more inclusive and richer work environment.

“In short, reducing the gender gap in the ICT sector is essential to promote equity, drive economic development, foster innovation, ensure inclusive leadership and provide equal opportunities for all in the 21st century digital economy,” said S2 Group's Director of Talent Management.

Our strategy to increase the percentage of female ICT experts in the workforce

In this context, within the ESG project #Evoluciona2, we have launched different initiatives aimed at achieving the goal of increasing to 26% the presence of women experts in some ICT field in the workforce in the next 4 years. These initiatives are:

1. #S2CyberYouth days: dedicated to students of ESO and Bachillerato. These days aim to inspire and motivate young people, especially women, to explore and commit to careers in STEAM areas. Through interactive workshops, motivational talks and mentoring sessions, students will learn first-hand about the opportunities and challenges of the technological world.
2. Motivational Talks at Universities: continue to organize talks at universities, featuring female role models and leaders in the STEAM sector, to serve as inspiration and guidance to female university students considering technical careers.
3. Reinforced presence at Employment Forums and Universities: intensify S2 Grupo's presence at employment and academic events, focusing efforts on attracting young women to the ICT and STEAM sector, through participation in panels, job fairs and open days.
4. Visibility and Leadership of Women in S2 Group: actively promote the presence of female technical professionals from the S2 Group team at relevant conferences, lectures and forums. This approach not only increases the visibility of women in these fields, but also establishes them as key figures and references within the industry.