COVID-19 has had a long-term impact on nearly every industry and is undoubtedly shaping the future of the business world, for both employees and businesses. According to new research published by JFD x BVA, 70% of Italian citizens believe that the COVID-19 pandemic affects women and men equally. This study, conducted on nearly 4,000 people in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, reveals several interesting aspects of gender inequality in the technology and entrepreneurship sectors.
28% of European citizens perceive technological and digital skills as typical of male subjects;
37% of women in Europe intend to work in a technological or digital environment;
According to European citizens, the most successful entrepreneurs have a sense of responsibility, self-esteem, ambition and leadership, qualities that are not considered typical of women.
“From this study we learn that, despite the crisis of this period, the new generations are the most optimistic about the economic situation of their country and about their future. This shows their determination to be part of the world of tomorrow. We need to build an increasingly digital future by leveraging this new generation of leaders, ”said Delphine Remy-Boutang, CEO of The Bureau & JFD, President of GEN France.
What future do the jobs of tomorrow offer to women and young people?
China and Germany are considered to be the countries that will recover fastest after the health crisis. According to the interviewees, their inhabitants, together with those in the United States, seem better prepared to practice the professions of the future.
Furthermore, the survey reveals a unanimous consensus that the professions of the future are linked to the digital sector, in addition to the medical and paramedical sectors. 46% of Italians believe that the IT developer is a profession with a future, while 46% of the participants also consider that of artificial intelligence engineers a profession with a future.
Although 6% of Italian workers believe that certain professions will disappear in 10 years and do not believe in the possibility of their recovery, hope is still emerging in the professions of the future, especially in the digital sector. However, 40% of the people interviewed believe that they are not sufficiently prepared to exercise this kind of professions.
The main reason is the lack of knowledge and information; in fact, only 38% think they are well informed about digital professions (50% in the 15-29 age group). Overall, women are at a disadvantage in this area, despite 43% of them intending to work in the technology sector (59% among young people aged 15 to 29).
Entrepreneurship: a distorted perception by entrepreneurs or women?
In the professional world in general, as in the digital one, individual qualities are required rather than relational ones, such as adaptability (76%), creativity (73%) or intelligence (74%). While these qualities are generally not gender dependent, they are often thought of as feminine rather than masculine characteristics.
On the other hand, Italians think that in order to play the role of entrepreneur, the most important qualities are the sense of responsibility, self-esteem, ambition and leadership.
The following qualities, considered essential for a successful entrepreneur, are hardly attributed to women: self-esteem (47%), ambition (51%) and leadership (49%).