Mastercard is addressing gender gap with Girls4Tech, aims to reach 1M girls by 2025

In an effort to bridge the gender gap, Mastercard, a technology company in the global payments industry,  is trying to reach out to one million girls globally by 2025 through its signature STEM education platform, Girls4Tech.

The gender gap not just in India but worldwide is huge. According to Mastercard,  globally there are less than 20 percent of women in high tech jobs. This is also because of a leaky pipeline since only one in 20 girls opt for a career in STEM according to the data shared by Mastercard.

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It is this problem that Girls4Tech is trying to address. The Girls4Tech, a hands-on, inquiry-based STEM programme, has been designed to help young girls become tech leaders of tomorrow. In its fifth year it has reached more than 400,000 girls aged between eight and 12, across 25 countries. The programme curriculum has been translated into 12 languages.

Mastercard has also partnered with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), BeBetter China, Singapore Committee for UN Women, and others to further scale the programme.

Susan Warner, Senior Vice President of Global Volunteerism at Mastercard, stated, “Today we celebrate the 400,000 girls who gained new STEM skills through the Girls4Tech programme and learned that a future in technology can and should include them. We hope to have sparked many future careers in STEM fields, because gender parity in tech will ultimately make all companies – and our society at large – better and stronger.”

On its fifth anniversary and keeping up with the global tech trends, Girls4Tech is also launching a new curriculum which will provide exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. And for girls in the age group of 13-16 who have already finished the programme, Girls4Tech is launching another programme. Called the Girls4Tech 2.0 the aim of the programme is to ensure that through the critical school years, the girls are engaged with STEM. The programme also emphasises upon skills needed for the 21st century workplace.

Also read: The future is female and it is in STEM