The research released today reveals that Ireland has Europe’s biggest gender gap when it comes to workers’ use of advanced digital skills.
It also exposes a “glass ceiling” in the most digitally intensive workplaces.
Around 44pc of men use advanced digital skills in their jobs compared with just 18pc of women, according to the joint study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and research body, BlockW.
The difference, a 26pc gender gap, is almost double the European average.
Researchers used an index based on workers’ use of technology including the internet and spreadsheets as well as advanced digital skills such as programming, machine learning, AI tools and IT system management.
The report found that women and men use basic digital skills at similar rates, but women are significantly less likely to perform advanced digital tasks.
Gender gaps in advanced digital work exist across Europe but Ireland stood out as having the largest gap.
Adele Whelan, senior research officer at the ESRI and co-author of the report, said the gender gap is driven by a high level of advanced digital skill use among men in Ireland, rather than low use among women.
“We were surprised by the gap, that it was the largest in Europe,” she said.
Failing to fully utilise women’s advanced digital capability is an avoidable constraint on growth
“Women in Ireland, they are performing on par to women in Europe but it’s actually men in Ireland are outperforming men in Europe.
“That’s what’s driving the gap. It also says that there’s a lot of opportunity in Ireland that maybe isn’t being equally distributed at the same time.
“As you know, Ireland’s unique in terms of its relatively large tech sector and it holds many of the major global headquarters. So, perhaps that also makes it different to other European countries.
“So, we can explain some of the gap, that it’s due to less [sic] women being in Stem [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields of study or occupations, but this only explains a minority of the gap. So only about 30pc or 40pc is due to these reasons.”
The report showed men in Ireland are much more likely to use advanced digital skills at work, at 44pc, compared with 32pc in other European counties.
Women’s use of advanced skills is comparable with women elsewhere in Europe.
A large part of the gap in digital skill use may come down to the types of jobs men and women do. The study found women are underrepresented in the most digitally intensive jobs. However, women are less likely to use advanced digital skills, even when compared with male workers who have a similar education, job or who work in the same sector.
Ms Whelan said a big part of the gender gap is still unexplained.
“It could be self-selection into tasks on the job. It could be potential bias on task allocation from senior level managers. It’s unclear as to why this is the case,” she said.
She added that greater change may potentially be needed in areas like decision-making and opportunities.
Professor Joyce O’Connor, co-founder and chair of Block W, said the findings should give us pause for thought.
“In an economy facing skills shortages, failing to fully utilise women’s advanced digital capability is an avoidable constraint on growth,” she said.
Ms O’Connor said more research is needed on task allocation and progression within firms, and what interventions positively impact outcomes.
An ESRI spokesperson said the report raises concerns about the underutilisation of women’s digital skills, despite Ireland’s strong tech sector and high levels of education.
The results highlight the need for further research into other factors that may shape opportunities
The report, “Squandered skills? Bridging the digital gender skills gap for inclusive growth in Ireland: A comparative European perspective”, also showed that younger women face larger digital skill gaps than older workers.
It said closing the gender gap in advanced digital skills use will require more than increasing women’s participation in Stem education or jobs.
The authors said further research is needed to better understand the role of workplace organisation. This includes how managers allocate digital tasks, responsibilities and progression opportunities.
The report said evidence shows that closing the gender gap in digital skill use at work will require more than increasing women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and maths education or occupations.
“While education and access to digital jobs are important, the results highlight the need for further research into other factors that may shape opportunities to develop and apply advanced digital skills, including workplace organisation, task allocation, progression pathways, and broader organisational practices,” it said.
It added that addressing these issues will be important for gender equality.
The report was launched to coincide with International Day of Women and Girls in Science.