ABSTRACT
This chapter draws upon existing research and studies, as well as on the authors’ “best practice” insights in investigating the popularly-termed “digital gender divide” and how digitalization impacts on the future prospects for women on the labor market. Providing an analytical commentary on the present situation, this chapter discusses the relative lack of women in the Western countries undertaking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. This in turn leads to a lower turnout for women working with information and communication technology (ICT) related jobs. The chapter concludes that digitalization may provide for more flexible working conditions that benefit women, but that the digital transformation also carries a risk of bringing about more atypical and cynical work arrangements. There is also a risk that the emergent automatization will begin to harvest some of the professions that are traditionally dominated by women. A major component to women’s disposition in tech appears to be attitudinal issues to a greater extent than legal/regulatory. Although the situation is slowly improving, more coordination among different efforts is needed in order to successfully safeguard the future position of women in the digital era.
