Equality still has a long way to go in technology jobs
According to a survey conducted by TEK, the members of the union still have a long way to go before the working life can be called equal.
Of all female Masters of Science in Technology, one in three state that they have experienced discrimination or unequal treatment in the work organization in the last year, regardless of their age group or status at work.
– The discrimination women face primarily concerns career advancement and salaries. Patronising attitudes, lack of respect and unequal treatment are also problems, says Susanna Bairoh, Research Manager at TEK.
Eradicating inequality – a business decision among others!
The objectives of TEK include equality, diversity and equal advancement opportunities in both education and working life.
– Equal working life is valuable in itself. It also plays an essential part in the results of companies and public corporations, as only equal treatment and career opportunities allow human resources to be utilised as efficiently as possible, states Heikki Kauppi, Secretary General of TEK.
Kauppi states that eradicating inequality should not be any more difficult than the implementation of any other business-related decision.
– First you need to determine the aim and set the goals and indicators, and then you monitor the implementation. When used correctly, the salary system based on the difficulty of the tasks and performance is a great tool for promoting equality, Kauppi says.
Questions concerning discrimination and unequal treatment experienced by members were included in the 2015 labour market survey conducted by TEK. There were over 10,000 respondents. Approximately 20 per cent of working-aged Masters of Science in Technology are women.