Women and technology, it is still not the great love expected. And the numbers say it. According to a Gender Scan report, in 2022 there were only 17% of women in digital professions in France. The French Tech 120 (which brings together the leaders of French Tech companies) has only 15 women in positions of responsibility, of which only 7 are business leaders. And only one representative among the heads of the Next 40.
Finding female role models for the younger generation is always tricky. Whether in secondary school with still few girls in science courses, at university or in schools where the enrollment rate fluctuates with difficulty between 10 and 20% – with a still high drop-out rate – France is with few graduates and indeed few women in the various professions, especially developers. Add to that the somewhat sexist and unwelcoming image given to Tech, and we better understand female desertification. But things tend to evolve to feminize the sector a little more.
Associations and operations carried out by and for women
Training and women’s associations multiply to support them, sometimes simply to help women overcome their fear of starting a business or to promote them. This is particularly the case for Women TechEU, an initiative which supports deep tech companies led by women on a European scale. They then benefit from financial support, mentoring, support and networking at the European Union level. The latter has even decided to triple the budget granted in 2023 (10 million euros) to support 100 young shoots (compared to 50 in the first year, including four illustrious French women).
In France, they move want foster vocations in technological professions in particular, through various actions. Organize events with high school students to raise awareness about the digital professions, hackathons or even meetings between specialists, but also for all those who are interested. Its main objective is gather and create female support networks.
Simplon plays the 100% female training card
“When we launched Simplon almost 10 years ago, we wanted to have 50% women in our lineup, but we didn’t get it. We are around 45% and the more people we train, the lower the rate”, laments Frédéric Bardeau, one of the founders of the solidarity school specialized in professional training for digital professions, to Tech&Co.
“It is very difficult to find candidates. You have to go after them with your teeth and explain to them that there are many different jobs, that they do not have to have the impostor syndrome ”. And there is also usually the fear of finding herself faced with a subject over which she has less or no control, surrounded by more seasoned men, not daring to ask and afraid of being judged.
So Simplon decided to remedy these barriers by offering, with Apple, 100% female training in iOS application development. In 2019, the two partners had come together to give life to the Apple Foundation Program, a mixed training course that allows you to become familiar with the information code, the development of an application project, its design up to the field of play in front of a jury. . . At the end of 2022, in Lyon, Simplon and Apple launched the first session composed exclusively of women from 16 to 47 years old. Their common point: they were all looking for work.
Only one in three girls dares to go to Tech
For four weeks, these women who dropped out of school, in professional recycling or ex-housewives eager to find a job, rubbed shoulders with all aspects. Without shyness, without shame to ask questions and to understand, we were able to verify it during a day of immersion in the Villeurbanne premises.
This class of women demonstrated stronger mutual support, even by participants admitting that they felt more comfortable with each other daring to ask.
And notice that these women then become more leaders in their behavior. “We didn’t want to be accused of discriminating, but you have to say that it works and it’s really empirical,” she adds.
Even though Apple fully funds the training, there is no work involved. But, with their confidence restored and the discovery of a prized course, some get caught up in the game and want to pursue longer, more specialized and mixed courses. For those who want to try the adventure, Simplon and Apple already have two new 100% female sessions planned: in June in Toulouse and in October in Lille. To apply, all you have to do is approach Simplon and show your motivation.
Only one girl in three say they have been encouraged by their parents to move into tech jobs when more than 60% of boys answer in the affirmative. A difference that the associations also want to fill. For high school girls who want to step on the footsteps of technology or video games, also outside of women with only 22% of the workforce in the studios, the Women in Games association has developed a TikTok filter to find out what the job. for you. A good initiative in the middle of the Parcoursup registration period.
Source: BFM TV
