BOOK TIPS | Gender inequality in the tech industry

Despite many efforts to increase gender equality in technology-driven research and innovation fields, women remain in a clear minority.
A new book gives us clues as to why.

Sweden was early to draw attention to gender inequality in technology-driven innovation.
For over a decade, we have invested in research and initiatives on inclusion and gender equality in the field.
But the book Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation examines why, despite large-scale efforts, women in the Nordic countries are still in the minority in the tech world.
Several female (and two male!) Nordic researchers contribute with their experiences, and the mechanisms of gender structures become clear.
– The book provides a broad picture of how gender and innovation are related to each other.
What kind of people and skills we have access to affects what goods and services are available in the future, says Malin Lindberg, Professor of Gender and Technology at Luleå University of Technology.

Gender equality tools for small businesses

Together with fellow researcher Ulf Mellström and project manager Paula Wennberg, she contributes a chapter to the book.
They draw on experiences from the collaborative platforms Gender Contact Point and Genusakademin.
There, small and medium-sized tech and industrial companies in Norrbotten and Värmland, together with researchers, develop knowledge and tools for more inclusive innovation processes and workplaces.
– Companies are struggling to recruit people with different experiences and skills.
They want to create products that attract a broad target group, and this must be reflected in the organization.
But it is also a work environment problem that the tech industry is so male-dominated, it is difficult to get women to stay,” says Malin Lindberg.
The collaboration platforms have resulted in a number of digital tools that smaller companies can use in their gender equality work.
– The anthology shows that it is now a half-truth that the technology-driven research and innovation area is unequal.
In several areas, gender patterns have started to change.
At the same time, fundamental challenges remain, such as gender-stereotypical norms in working life and unequal distribution of responsibilities for home and family,” says Malin Lindberg.
Contactmalin.lindberg@ltu.seMer about the book The research anthology Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation is available free of charge as a pdf.Title: Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation – Living the contradiction (open access) Editor: Gabriele Griffin Publisher: Bristol University press Year of publication: 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5292-1947-0