According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2022 report, it will take us more than 150 years to close the gender gap in Economic Participation and Opportunity, and more than 20 years to close the gender gap in Educational Attainment. While the overall gender parity score rose year on year, progress is clearly not happening fast enough.

Did you know that:

• There are only 1.7% women graduates in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) compared to 8.2% of men graduates. In Engineering and Manufacturing, there are only 6.6% women graduates compared to 24.6% of men graduates.
• A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) worker earns two-thirds more than those employed in other fields, according to Pew Research Center.
• However, some of the highest-earning STEM occupations – such as computer science and engineering – have the lowest percentages of women employees. In fact, women comprise less than 30% of the workforce in STEM.
• A UNESCO research review across eight Asian countries found that cultural expectations and stereotypes – such as perceiving STEM as a male subject – can affect women’s participation in STEM. In Japan, only 27% of women enter the tertiary education level in natural sciences, mathematics and statistics – one of the lowest percentages of women in STEM among OECD countries.

Nurturing the next generation of women technology leaders in Japan

On a recent business trip to Japan, Avanade’s Growth Markets Area President Rodrigo Caserta and Growth Markets Chief Operating Officer Carla Ramchand had the opportunity to connect with over 30 female students at Ochanomizu University, Avanade’s STEM Scholarship Program Partner and one of the top national universities in Japan.

The 90-minute session saw Rodrigo and Carla share life lessons from their experiences, their career journeys and the challenges they learned to overcome – including the importance of embracing a growth mindset because change is the only constant and the ability to adapt to change builds resilience. For Rodrigo and Carla, it was an invaluable opportunity to meet and engage with aspiring women leaders, researchers and changemakers who have the potential to build a more equitable and sustainable future.

At Avanade, we want to be a force for diversity and inclusion. For us, inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone can thrive, be and do their best. We hold ourselves accountable to our commitments – women make up 40% of our hires globally, nearly 50% of our Executive Committee members are women, and we have over 50% women in our Growth Markets Leadership team. 

In pursuit of gender parity and inclusion, we offer STEM scholarships in partnership with over 16 leading universities worldwide including Japan’s Ochanomizu University. Our scholarship program aims to close the gender gap by giving more women access to resources that help them thrive in STEM fields and make powerful contributions to technology growth. To date, our STEM Scholarship program has enabled over 300 women scholars and mentees.

Japan’s digital future rests on gender parity

In Japan, our commitment to make STEM careers accessible and enticing to women extends beyond scholarships. We sponsored and launched the Program for Women’s Empowerment at Ochanomizu University – creating the platform and opportunity for students, educators, and private employers to take a deeper look at the involvement of Japanese women in society while advocating for increased visibility and mentorship for women seeking leadership roles in the Japanese STEM sector.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry estimates that Japan will face a shortage of 450,000 information technology professionals by 2030 – a gap that more women in STEM can address. When women have equal opportunities to pursue and thrive in STEM careers, it narrows the gender pay gap, enhances women’s economic security, ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce, and prevents biases in the products and services they produce.