The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) on Friday (8 March) is #BalanceforBetter. AWE graduate Ellie is just one of the diverse team involved in an event to explore some of the key issues around gender balance and why it matters.
“Some people think of this as a ‘women’s thing’ but of course, it is really an economic issue. A more even gender balance makes for thriving communities, businesses and individuals – it’s about maximising the contribution made by people, women and men and enabling that contribution to happen.
“One of the topics we’ll be looking at during our event is the ways in which technology facilitates more flexible ways of working. The ability to use technology to work anywhere, not being tied to a specific workplace, means that it is easier to achieve a work-life balance. This helps those with parental or caring responsibilities and offers opportunities for people to return to the workplace with their valuable skills, or to work for longer, than has been possible previously.
AWE’s Chief Information Officer, Tony Mather, is the company’s executive lead for diversity and inclusion. He said:
“The world is changing and business is too. We’re proud of our work to support diversity, including programmes to promote careers for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Our sector relies on attracting bright women and men across the STEM and professional sectors but there is still a way to go to achieve gender balanced representation in a number of areas, which is why the theme of this year’s IWD – #BalanceforBetter – is so important.