The feminization of the trades of technology does not progress or even decline, according to the indicators gathered by a study of Global Contact firm handed Wednesday to Secretary of State in charge of digital, Cédric O.
"There is no inevitability and we must, companies and government, act to reverse the trend in the coming years," said the Secretary of State, quoted in a statement from Global Contact. The government intends to act with a law on "economic empowerment of women" to be presented in 2020, said Cédric O.
Fall in the number of women in short cycles
According to the figures of the study dubbed "Gender Scan", the number of women graduates of the tech (higher education, digital and engineering) fell by 6% in France, from 35,746 to 33,709 between 2013 and 2017. The decrease comes from "the drop in the proportion of women in the short cycle (...) and the stagnation or the slight decrease observed at the level of the master's degrees", according to the study.
In the digital industry alone, the number of women graduates fell by 2%, from 4,067 graduates in 2013 to 3,892 in 2017. These developments are in reverse of those observed in the European Union, where the number of female graduates is increasing. 2% in tech, and 23% in digital.
In contrast, the satisfaction of women in tech is "at the highest"
The drop in the number of graduates is accompanied by a drop in the mix in the workplace, notes the study. Women accounted for only 17% of the digital workforce in 2018, up from 20% in 2009.
Yet, "the satisfaction of women in the tech in France is at the highest compared to that observed internationally," notes the study. "The actual commitment of the companies of the sector in France generates a level of satisfaction of the women of the tech clearly superior to that observed abroad as regards the organization of the work and the balance" professional life / private life. The table is less satisfactory on issues of equal pay and professional support, with a level of satisfaction lower than that observed abroad, according to the study.
The study was conducted on the basis of Eurostat data, and an online survey conducted in 130 countries with 15,000 respondents, including 3,597 in France.