Ireland has a gender digital divide that is worse than anywhere else in Europe, according to a new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
In Ireland, men are more than twice as likely in women to have advanced digital skills, researchers found.
“While gender gaps in advanced digital work are evident across Europe, Ireland stands out as having the largest gap”, said the ESRI.
“In Ireland, this ‘digital glass ceiling’ is more pronounced than in the rest of Europe.”
It’s particularly concerning as digital skills like computer programming and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is expected to becoming increasingly important for jobs.
Workers use different types of digital skills in the workplace ranging from basic tasks such as using the internet to making spreadsheets to more complex stills like computer programming, machine learning, use of AI and IT management tools.
The findings raise concerns about the “underutilisation of women’s digital skills, despite Ireland’s strong tech sector and high levels of educational attainment”, the ESRI said.
Key findings include:
- Ireland has the largest gender gap in advanced digital skills use in Europe. Around 44% of men in Ireland use advanced digital skills in their jobs, compared with just 18% of women. This represents a 26-percentage-point gap, almost double the European average.
- Women are under-represented in the most digitally intensive jobs. Gender differences are relatively modest in less digitally intensive roles but widen sharply in the most digitally intensive jobs. In Ireland, this ‘digital glass ceiling’ is more pronounced than in the rest of Europe.
- Differences in digital skill use persist even among comparable workers. Women are less likely than men to use advanced digital skills, even when comparing workers with similar levels and fields of education, occupations, and sectors.
- Across Europe, younger women already face larger digital skill gaps than older workers. Gender gaps in advanced digital skills use are larger among younger workers and are less easily explained by differences in observable characteristics such as education or occupation. This suggests the issue is not a legacy problem among older cohorts and will not resolve automatically over time.
Source: ESRI report
Closing the gender gap in advanced digital skills use will require more than increasing women’s participation in education and jobs, the ERSI warned.
“Further research is needed to better understand the role of workplace organisation, including how digital tasks, responsibilities, and progression opportunities are allocated within firms.”
Dr Adele Whelan, Senior Research Officer at the ESRI said that their research found that gender gaps persist “even among women and men with similar education levels, fields of study and occupations.”
“This indicates that encouraging women into STEM [Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] education and occupations, while essential, will not on its own close the divide. Women are under-represented in the most digitally intensive roles, pointing to a potential ‘digital glass ceiling’ within workplaces.”
The Economic and Social Research Institute is an independent Irish research institute based in Dublin