AGENCY LAUNCHES STUDY TO POWER-UP EQUALITY IN TECH
Multi award-winning PR agency and GBCC member, EAST VILLAGE., is calling on people to complete its latest survey, delving into crucial aspects shaping the journey of women in tech. Interrogating the opportunities, barriers, and biases currently at play, as well as raising questions about what would level the playing field, the agency hopes its study will uncover answers to shape a truly reflective tech realm for all.
The survey looks at how greater inclusivity and representation for women can be achieved in the tech industry: a sector that, despite its prevalence, still remains dominated by men. A recent study showed that women only hold 26.7% of tech-related roles and – even worse than that – the percentage of women in tech-related careers actually decreased between 2020 and 2022.
Determined to help change this, EAST VILLAGE. hopes its survey can help reveal actionable and tangible solutions to truly redress the balance.
The launch of the study comes hot on the heels of the agency’s announcement of a move into delivering PR for emerging tech brands. As part of its refocus, EAST VILLAGE. is specifically looking to engage underrepresented founders to create a more equitable and inclusive landscape. It will do this by helping underrepresented founders have their time in the spotlight: from training to help combat bias during the pitch process, to generating impressive PR that grabs the attention of Angel Investors and VCs.
Managing Director of EAST VILLAGE., Tara Attfield-Tomes, has pioneered the agency’s niching down, and is hugely passionate about having an impact on the sector. She comments:
“The statistics around the inequalities that exist in tech are staggering; however, when you realise that behind the numbers are real people – all of whom are battling bias, lack of funding, and a sparsity of role models in the media just to fight to be in the room – the sheer scale of the problem can make it feel impossible to overcome.
That’s why EAST VILLAGE. wants to change the dialogue and focus on finding solutions. As communicators and masters of storytelling, we aren’t prepared to just accept the data: we want to interrogate it, understand the “why” behind it, and, even more importantly, facilitate the conversations in the right ecosystems that finally help make these stats history.”
The survey has been commissioned in partnership with OPPi, the Singapore-based AI-platform that aims to revolutionise the traditional approach to focus groups and surveys, by seeking out results and analysing data in real-time. Having launched its UK operations in Birmingham this summer, OPPi’s founder Adrian Liew hopes that, through studies like this one, he can help ambitious and socially-conscious businesses to carry out social listening and make informed and proactive change.
“Having supporting its UK launch, we couldn’t be more excited about collaborating with OPPi on this study. Adrian is as equally solutions-focused as I am and I know that we are both eager to start collecting and reviewing the results. We truly hope that as many people as possible complete the survey so that together we can shape a truly reflective tech realm: challenging norms, shattering barriers, and fuelling inclusivity. Watch this space!” concludes Tara.
The survey is open to all genders, ages, and backgrounds, and is now live. To have your say, simply visit https://bit.ly/WomenForTechOPPI.