A new study says “digital fluency” can help women close the workplace gender gap by 2040

Gaining knowledge and confidence when it comes to technology may help women close the gender gap in the workplace by 2040, according to a new study. Whether it's perceived lack of expertise or an actual lack of education, we're certainly planning to follow these studies as they help paint a complex picture of pay inequity--and what we can do to resolve it. qz.com - A lack of digital prowess is hindering women in the workplace, according to a new study.

Women lag behind men in the workplace in many respects, from pay to leadership roles to opportunities in science, technology, and other fast-growing industries. They are also falling behind in the use of digital skills, the study found. It argues that helping women become more digitally savvy will help level the playing field for them in other areas in the near future.

Doubling the rate at which women use digital skills to learn, connect, and become more efficient can help close the workplace gender gap in the developed world by 2040, according to consultancy Accenture.

Accenture’s report focuses on what it calls “digital fluency.” It’s less about doing things like learning to code, and more about using technology to become more “knowledgeable, connected and effective” via taking remote courses, teleworking, or looking for jobs online. Men around the world overwhelmingly rely on technology more than women do, Accenture found, and that’s partly what’s getting them ahead in terms of pay, promotions, and the like.