Women will change the Czech Republic for the better. Project Inspire & Impact launches website and welcomes new members

Lack of flexibility in the labour market is something that has been plaguing the Czech Republic for a long time, and we are below the EU average in terms of fair wages for women and their representation in key positions. Local top female managers and entrepreneurs, led by founder Renata Mrázová, have joined forces to establish the Inspire & Impact project, which aims to address gender inequalities in the local labour market. After three years of the natural emergence of the community, the project is formalizing, launching a new website and going public under the leadership of the executive board, which includes Simona Kijonková, Dana Bérová, Tat'ána le Moigne, Dita Formánková and Vlaďka Michnová.

How did the whole project come about? "The idea of creating the Inspire & Impact Network was born a few years ago when I, together with the former Canadian Ambassador Ayesha Rheki, organized an informal gathering of women at the Canadian Embassy. We discussed issues of support, inspiration and collaboration among women to support and inspire each other. The event was very successful and we decided to continue with this concept." says Renata Mrázová, president and founder of the association, who is also a long-time top manager with experience in financial, general and HR management of large Czech and multinational companies. "Since then, our network has grown to more than 300 women from various fields, including managers, entrepreneurs, workers in the non-profit sector and public administration, mothers on maternity leave, scientists, designers, artists and sportswomen. We are united by our active engagement and interest in self-development and making a positive impact on the community and society in which we live." She adds.

The launch of the new website on solidpixels is a milestone for Inspire & Impact, making the project "official". "We are excited to now be moving into a new phase. We have formalised the network into a community and are launching a website and membership database that will serve to even better connect and collaborate between members." Renata Mrázová comments.

Why women don't flock to IT

Each of the incoming female co-founders has brought a new perspective to the project and with it new topics that can be opened up and addressed through the Inspire & Impact community. Dita Formánková, analyst and director of Czechitas, has long been passionate about the topic of women in IT. "Women perceive barriers, both inherent and societal, when entering IT or leadership roles. These are based on stereotypes that women have associated with technology. They shy away from it, they have a misconception about the competences or personality that such an IT specialist must have, or a distorted picture of what technology actually is. They also don't flock to IT or leave the field because they don't have a sense of belonging, they're a small minority, so it's hard to assert your opinion, feel secure, be yourself, or find mentors." She lists and adds that the Czech Republic is at the very tail end of European countries in the representation of women in IT.

It is no different in leadership positions. "The dominant caregiver of children or elderly relatives in the Czech Republic is a woman, so she needs more flexible hours and it is difficult to combine this with a leadership role in today's business environment. Therefore, women do not volunteer for higher positions, they also do not trust themselves, they do not communicate their need for career growth as often and directly, they do not ask for higher wages as often and they do not take risks to the same extent as men. The social stereotypes and barriers are also huge. Whether it is the strongly traditional male-female division of typical professions and positions, or the unequal distribution of care, the lack of support for young children or even pay inequalities. It's a complex problem." She adds.

Digital skills and business support as a path to change

How to get out of this vicious circle? "I believe that education is absolutely key on the road to greater equality of opportunity. Focusing on your digital business card, perhaps in the form of your own website, can also contribute to improving competitiveness. Creating one also creates a new skill, perfectly applicable for future work." continues Dita Formánková. How can employers help in this regard? "Companies can significantly influence the career direction of school-age girls towards technology. By their participation in career days, by supporting informal education, for example with us at Czechitas. Equally, they can help women retrain in IT later in life. Creating more flexible and less than full time jobs with the option to work from home. Enable parental leave training and encourage the creation of communities, mentoring, shadowing, etc. in their employees. And last but not least, through expert volunteering, contribute to informal education and retraining in IT."

Greater representation and support for women brings considerable benefits to companies. According to Dita Formánková, well-managed diverse teams bring higher innovation revenues to the company in the long run, are more resilient in a crisis and last longer, i.e. have higher employee retention. "According to some studies, we are talking about a 9% increase in profits, and an 8 billion increase in GDP in the country if women were more involved in productive occupations. Women bring different experiences, approaches to problem solving, perspectives to technology teams. They look at a product or service through different eyes. In addition, according to psychologist Andy Bell, who has described the distribution of gender differences in personality tendencies, women are more concerned with building long-term relationships, and they are more concerned with ethics, loyalty, and detail orientation. At a time when companies are vying for the attention of customers and employees, and at the same time we are dealing with ethics issues in the context of AI, representation of such priorities in management or product teams is terribly important."