Celebrating Women and Girls in Science, Technology, and Innovation

February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and Hitachi Solutions is joining the many voices supporting this important movement. As a technology professional services company, we understand the need for a diverse and inclusive workforce. Because to solve all the global challenges we face — from Covid to climate change and everything in between — we need to leverage everyone’s perspective and talents!

Did you know (according to UNESCO):

• In cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals (22%) is a woman?
• Despite a shortage of skills in most of the technological fields driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women still account for only 28% of engineering graduates and 40% of graduates in computer science and informatics?
• Women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues and, while they represent 33.3% of all researchers, only 12% of members of national science academies are women?

These disparities prompted UNESCO and UN-Women to adopt a resolution to acknowledge full and equal access to science, technology, and innovation for women and girls of all ages is imperative to helping achieve gender equality and expanding our ability to find sustainable solutions to modern global issues. Thus the movement — and day of recognition — were born.

Doing Our Part

At Hitachi Solutions, we strongly believe the work environment should be diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and are committed to removing bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. We address this through internal employee communities and advisory boards, as well as externally through association memberships and event participation. For women specifically, we have:

• Konsei Women — We established this employee-led resource group that focuses on providing mentorship and leadership programming and support for female professionals in the company.
• Women’s Advisory Board — We created this forum to identify, talk about, and address issues women face globally across Hitachi Solutions companies.
• Women in Technology — We are a proud member of this premier professional association for advancing women in the technology industry.
• Podcasts & Events — We have amazing women in every department of our company. They are always encouraged to share their experiences and are frequently spotlighted by other organizations for their inspiration and leadership. Check out a few examples:
  • Women in Tech: Leadership Lessons from the Field
  • A Woman’s Journey: 30 Years Through Tech

Of course, we are passionate about empowering all our employees and have other resource groups that foster networking, professional development, mentoring, and leadership opportunities. These include Konsei Pride for the LGBTQIA+ community; Konsei BIPOC to support black, indigenous, and people of color; and Konsei PANDA to recognize neurodiversity in the workplace.

To learn more about how we support women and girls in technology while building a more diverse and inclusive workforce overall, visit our website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn to see how we promote gender equality and celebrate employee differences every day.