Womentor - business value through gender equality

The change and leadership program Womentor is IT&Telekomföretagen's initiative for companies in the IT and telecom industry that want to work systematically and long-term to increase the proportion of female managers.

- Everyone wins from a much more equal IT and telecom industry: individuals, companies, society. Yet progress is too slow. With Womentor, we are together increasing the pace towards a more attractive and innovative digital sector," says Åsa Zetterberg, Director of IT&Telekomföretagen.

Increasing gender equality makes companies more competitive

Womentor has been running since 2006. The main focus of the program is to increase the proportion of women in management positions in companies in the IT and telecom sector. More women in management positions has a positive impact on the overall number of women in the company.

One basis for a more equal working life is to link the gender equality issue to each company's activities and core values. For the IT and telecom industry, this involves not only the supply of skills but also the profitability aspect.

- The pervasive digitalization taking place both in Sweden and globally has made the digital sector a strong growth force in the business world. But this continued growth is threatened by the lack of cutting-edge skills. "Figures from us at IT&Telecomföretagen show that around 70,000 people with IT or digitally related skills will be missing by 2022. It's not enough that the industry only attracts men," says Åsa Zetterberg.

Womentor companies better at gender equality than industry average

When Womentor was first conducted, the proportion of women in the industry was 32%, a figure that dropped to 28% in 2018. The companies that have participated in Womentor have, on average, a significantly more positive development than the industry in general. Companies that have participated every year since the start have increased the proportion of women in their companies from 25% to 34%.

- This shows, in black and white, that it pays for companies to participate in Womentor. If a company wants to achieve profitability and results, active gender equality work is a must," says Åsa Zetterberg.