Why are so few women active in the world of technology?

“First, there are the challenges of cultural fit ,” says Henkel. “When you talk about technology, there is a conscious or unconscious bias that suggests that this field is aimed at men. There is automatically a kind of exclusion of women that occurs.”

Moreover, education is paramount. Although 50% of young women express interest in computer science, technology, engineering and mathematics, only 19% graduate…

Worse still, women have virtually no access to digital technologies: 2.2 billion women under 25 do not have Internet at home. A very sad fact since they have the right to participate in digital evolution, according to the speaker. According to her, access to this professional world is no longer a question of gender, but of "meritocracy", that is to say based on individual merit.

That said, women need to put their talents forward more, Henkel says. They also need to be talked about and their stories told.

“Why are we still asking ourselves this question about the place of women in the technology sector? Women have specific needs. Obviously, they are family-oriented. So we have to put things in place with and for women. Everything has always been thought of by and for men. This is not a criticism, it is a reality.”

Many female start-up founders in Europe and North America, for example, face gender discrimination. In 2021, a mere 3% of financial investments in IT start-ups went to women-owned industry startups.

Sharing knowledge

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Danièle Henkel was, by her own admission, very emotionally affected by the crisis that shook her company and many other companies in Canada. After 25 years of work, she faced a gigantic wall. But she refused to give in to panic.

“I couldn’t get in touch with my customers. The company wasn’t in digital mode at all. My employees worked day and night for a week to create a transactional website for the sale of certain products. After a month, they also saved the Academy (which offers several medical-aesthetic and therapeutic training courses) by providing access to training courses across Canada. If I hadn’t invested for years in my employees, my colleagues, my suppliers, I would never have been able to do it. I had to act urgently and adapt.”

So, Ms. Henkel realized, in adversity, that digital technologies are superb tools: "I use technologies to make the human shine, but I don't allow them to take over."

The future

Asked by the conference host about her vision of the future, for women and for businesses, the businesswoman shared her contagious positivity.

“I challenge MTL Connecte! We must promote the extraordinary work of women in several fields. We must also value the commitment of women in their community. They are often associated with the service sectors. However, they are also researchers, scientists, people committed to improving the world. We must promote the creativity and ways of working that women have.”

“I see the future as beautiful. Because in reality, we have no choice. We must evolve together, use digital technologies wisely and become the guardians, particularly with artificial intelligence, of these digital technologies. We must ask the right questions and have rigorous ethical requirements. We must use technologies to improve the lives of our children and grandchildren.”

Henkel Media

About three years ago, before the pandemic, Danièle Henkel founded a digital media that promotes Quebec entrepreneurs .

“Apart from my work as a businesswoman in the medical-aesthetic field, most people knew me through my participation as a judge on the TV show Dans l'œil du dragon , broadcast on Radio-Canada. I then had the pleasure of being awakened by the diversity of innovations in our country. I realized the importance of entrepreneurship. I traveled to the regions to discover entrepreneurs.

"I wanted to shine the spotlight on them. I wanted to share their voice and demonstrate how committed they are. Henkel Media is a website powered for and by entrepreneurs. We need to talk about our entrepreneurial gem. We talk about people first. In all areas, nothing would exist without people's stories and motivations. Everything comes from people."