EAE and MWCapital Examine Barriers Facing Women in Technology
EAE and MWCapital Examine Barriers Facing Women in Technology
The structural causes that keep women out of technology professions begin to take shape during their school years and are subsequently exacerbated in the labor market. This is the main conclusion of the report “Digital Talent Through a Gender Lens,” the first annual joint research monograph by EAE Business School Barcelona—part of the Planeta Formación Universidades higher education network—and Mobile World Capital Barcelona, presented on the business school’s campus. The main purpose of this research is to provide valuable data and practical insights to examine how female talent is developing in a constantly changing labor market. Given the rapid growth of digital occupations, the report concludes that the inclusion of women remains an unresolved challenge, as in 2025, women accounted for only 19.5% of those employed as ICT specialists in the European Union.
The report emphasizes that the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is not due to a lack of academic ability. On the contrary, it stems from a cumulative process driven by socialization, “math anxiety,” traditional school dynamics, and a lack of role models. All of this leads young women to rule out technology-related paths long before they reach college. “In a context of rapidly advancing technological change, bringing female talent into the digital sector is no longer just a matter of equity, but an imperative necessity to sustain the competitiveness of our economy.
Initiatives such as this joint research allow us to understand where these barriers originate and to transfer that knowledge to the academic and business spheres. For our school, it is essential to understand these dynamics and prepare organizations for the real challenges of a digital ecosystem that must be diverse and inclusive,” explained Carlota Suriol, Director of Marketing and Communications at EAE Business School Barcelona.
SEGREGATION AND THE “GLASS CEILING” IN THE DIGITAL SECTOR
The report also examines how structural inequality carries over into the workplace. Beyond access to the sector, the study identifies significant occupational segregation, with female talent tending to be concentrated in roles such as digital marketing, UX/UI, and CRM consulting, while areas of advanced technological specialization—such as cybersecurity and cloud development—have drastically lower percentages of female participation. Added to this is the difficulty in accessing leadership positions.
The data analyzed in Catalonia reveals the persistence of a “glass ceiling” in digital professions. As responsibility increases, the representation of women progressively decreases; while they hold 34% of non-managerial roles, their share drops to 25% at the manager level and falls to a mere 21% in senior management positions.
The presentation of the study featured a roundtable discussion with Pilar Saura, dean of EAE Business School Barcelona; Karina Gibert, president of DonesIAcat and donesCOEINF, dean of the Official College of Computer Engineering of Catalonia, and co-founder of the Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence research center; Coral Regí, biologist, educator, and expert in educational transformation; Clàudia Peiró i Vidal, R&D Firmware Engineer at HP; and Marta Clua, Public Sector Manager at Basetis and a member of 100 ICT Women in Catalunya.
During the event, the participants discussed the measures needed to promote greater female representation in digital professions The publication of this monograph marks the first major milestone for the research team jointly launched by EAE Business School Barcelona and MWCapital earlier this year as part of MWC 2026. This collaborative effort reaffirms both organizations’ commitment to strengthening the connection between the academic world and the corporate sector, promoting a humanistic approach to digital development, and consolidating Barcelona’s position as a global hub for technological talent.
