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Ghislaine Boddington

Ghislaine is a world-leading expert in digital identity, virtual presence and immersion experiences. She regularly inputs items and co-presents for BBC World Service and BBC Technology shows. She’s a Reader in Digital Immersion at the University of Greenwich, UK, Co-Founder and Creative Director of body>data>space and, as a strong equity advocate, an active mentor and Trustee for Stemettes Futures.

Latest stories by Ghislaine

women in stem

Are things getting better yet for women in STEM?

  • Women and diversity
  • min read
    • Skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are valuable in today's world. So it's concerning that women make up just 28 percent of the STEM workforce globally. While countless reports have noted this problem, successful women in STEM have set about making sure young women aspiring to STEM careers have a clearer and fairer path. In Kaspersky's award-winning podcast Fast Forward, I interview women helping STEM workplaces be more welcoming to women, and supporting women, girls and non-binary people to reach for STEM success I've advocated for encouraging and supporting women in STEM for many years, having myself relied on the belief of senior women and supportive men to take my expertise seriously. It seems there's still a lot of change to happen. Inspiring and supporting women in STEM careers is essential, especially with shifting careers and jobs in the marketplace across the next decade. Towards more supportive workplaces Patricia Peck is CEO and founding partner of Peck Advogados, Professor of Digital Law and council member of Brazil's Data Protection Authority. Patricia has more than 20 years experience working in a male-led legal environment, with a focus on digital innovation. This led her to examine the scenario for women in STEM. "I was at our Supreme Court in Brazil to talk about how platforms must be more responsible for our safety, and I was the only woman speaking. For Brazil and South America, it's new, but very important to have women in tech and cyber." Patricia aims to create a culture in her company, Peck Advogados, that helps the next generation of women to flourish. "Our multidisciplinary team is more than 60 percent women. We have a diversity policy, and that's unusual in law and tech in Latin America." For Patricia, attracting more young talent comes down to understanding what they value. "They see that we'll give them growth opportunities. They want clear roles, transparency and meritocracy, and they want to have a purpose." Young women leading the conversation Stemettes is an award-winning charity based in London, UK. They run workshops and events for girls, young women and non-binary people aged five to 25, introducing them to role models and careers. These are the words of young women from varied cultural backgrounds now moving into STEM careers. Angel Pooler, who has been working for three years in web and marketing for STEM activities, feels young women need encouragement to enter STEM fields. "I've had to work on my resilience because there are many roadblocks on the way. I've learned to acknowledge my limitations, but also my capabilities." "At university, it became clear how male-dominated STEM is, and I often felt inadequate. I now appreciate why the drop-off in female graduates happens," Angel says. She encourages those at the top to start the ball rolling. "STEM industries and universities must create welcoming atmospheres with equal and transparent salaries. Then, they can do outreach in schools and show female students they're serious about offering careers in STEM." Maeve Stillman studies Biotechnology at University of Manchester, UK. "I don't feel super at ease in the job market as an incoming graduate. STEM is exciting but also intimidating. I'm trying to channel positivity and come back to my core aims and beliefs: Thinking about what I want to achieve and the difference I want to make." Maeve feels inspired by role models. "When I see women high up in companies, it's motivating and helps mitigate some of the imposter syndrome common for women in STEM." Floriane Fidegnon-Edoh is a first-class graduate in manufacturing and mechanical engineering who has worked for three years with consultancies and think tanks. "We need to have dynamic conversations about what it means to be a powerful woman." Floriane advises, "To make STEM more positive for young women, we need to address the gender wage gap. It starts with a culture and ends with the people." Kaspersky surveyed some 13,000 women working in tech in 19 countries. Their report found only one in three women said their school, college or university encouraged them to pursue a tech or IT career. Only one in five were encouraged by meeting female role models in their communities, and more than a third felt this lack of visible role models made them wary of entering the sector. Acknowledging the importance of role models, Kaspersky launched Empower Women project where Kaspersky employees share professional and personal experiences working in cybersecurity. "By having a supportive environment and network, young women can broaden their options and role models," comments Judith Tapia, Sales Manager, Mexico. "It's important to start eliminating gender roles and stereotypes, including those related to choosing specific careers, from our close social circles at home and school." Creating new patterns Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, equity and inclusion expert, is CEO of Stemettes and President of the British Science Association. She was one of the youngest to receive a Master's Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from University of Oxford, at age 20. Yet she found men often underestimated her as she moved through her career. Anne-Marie says, "There's much research into why some men find it tough to accept innovation coming from women in the STEM sector. Many are pattern-matching around what they've seen success and innovation look like." In other words, they're consciously or unconsciously expecting a tech innovator to resemble a stereotype. Anne-Marie believes role models are crucial. "We're finally seeing stories like the 2016 film Hidden Figures about NASA, where women particularly have led instrumental work. As these stories were hidden, many people – not just men – grew up thinking women can't contribute technically. They can't imagine a technical woman, let alone one they'd respect or be fine working for." She points to how underestimating women could be harming innovation. "Innovation may sometimes arise from problems, perspectives or experiences men don't recognize." I asked Anne-Marie how we can ensure women can confidently follow a career path alongside male colleagues. She said, "We need to listen to and understand women in the STEM sector, those looking to enter and those who've left. This means listening to the experiences they've had applying for roles, promotion within a role and going into leadership. A first step toward equitable practice is understanding the differences and putting policies in place to address those." Changing the future Despite government and corporate reviews, significant news coverage of the gender pay gap and protests over 'manels' (all-male panels) at conferences, there hasn't been enough change for women in STEM. How can we ensure the future is different? Anne-Marie says, "Ten years ago, there were two reports a week talking about this problem. I'm hoping in the next 10 years and hopefully faster, we'll see a move from lip service to action – folks taking on allyship and equitable practice, acting on those pledges and reports." Patricia feels governments must play a stronger part. "I believe regulation has a role. Change won't be widely implemented by choice. Countries should commit to diversity and protect human rights by law, not just ethics and values." It's not always easy for women in STEM to retain confidence and fulfill their potential. Historical and cultural differences worldwide mean every country is at a different stage. Many schemes and networks emerged in the last decade to encourage girls and women to study STEM, start their own businesses and reach leadership. But globally, female founders of STEM companies receive less than five percent of STEM investment, and in the last 30 years, numbers of women studying engineering have barely increased. Noushin Shabab, Iranian-born cybersecurity researcher at Kaspersky, says, "While gender parity in IT is still nowhere in sight, we need to understand that both men and women have the same brains in the biological sense, and are equally capable of intellectual work." According to Noushin, it's essential to talk about gender stereotypes early on and encourage girls to take an interest in technology. Closing the gender gap in STEM isn't just a matter of right and wrong – it's good for business. Diverse teams have been shown to widen a company's customer base. Many men also believe in equitable practice. Those who acknowledge and speak out about issues women in STEM face can make a huge difference, helping other men reflect inclusive views in the workplace. Will future equity for women in STEM be held back by lip service? Perhaps regulation is necessary to ensure accountability and action. One thing is certain – the younger generations of STEM women show that innovation is not bound by gender.
women gaming

Women’s growing inclusion in gaming has lessons for business

  • Tech for good
  • min read
    • At a TED talk in California in 1998, pioneer games designer Brenda Laurel asked why gaming companies weren't making games for little girls when the market was worth six billion dollars? She concluded the male-dominated games industry was missing out on so much money because it only knew how to appeal to its own demographic. The games industry may have heard her. Soon, the race was on to diversify game themes, characters and spaces. Most gamers welcomed diversity, but some saw it as a threat – typified by a large, highly organized misogynistic harassment campaign, #Gamergate, emerging in 2014. Diversification in gaming was, however, unstoppable. Although today's gaming sector is still male-dominated, there is growing involvement of girls, women and non-binary people. In the 2020s, a rising four in ten gamers are women. I am the writer and presenter of Season 2 of Kaspersky's award-winning podcast Fast Forward, examining trends shaping technology from the perspective of the recent past. In Episode 2, I interview leading women in the gaming sector to discover how the industry is changing for women and non-binary people, and what other businesses can learn. Women-centered events and targeted mentoring In parts of the world where cultural and religious beliefs make it hard for women to game, some are working to create a smoother, safer path for young women who want to game or work in gaming. Many women's gaming events and networks have emerged worldwide. The expansion of game content and formats has helped – popular titles now include adventure games, role-playing games, cultural games that aim to solve local or global issues, and more. Ghada Almoqbel, Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabia's convention for women and girls in gaming, GCON, says that today women make up around 46 percent of Saudi's gamers, but were once much rarer. Ghada tells how she got involved. "I started playing video games when I was little. The only girls I knew that played were me and my sister. In 2012, I heard of the girls' convention, GCON. I didn't go, but the pictures and videos on social media were amazing." Ghada started with GCON as a volunteer, writing articles and helping organize events like 'game jams' – where everyone works together to make a game from scratch. She became Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Ask women what they need to succeed Through Ghada's leadership, GCON is growing and changing. "Our new strategy involves three departments: Game development, eSports and entertainment. Before we plan events or activities, we ask questions like, what do women need in eSports or game development?" Ghada elaborates on GCON's eSports program. "It aims to identify talent, support and empower. We want to make them role models. We want them to have more exposure in Saudi Arabia and internationally. But we're careful with eSports, because there's still lots of harassment." Have clearly communicated anti-harassment strategies In its 2021 survey, global anti-hate organization ADL found five in six adults who played online multiplayer games experienced harassment. Research has also found hostile sexism is a significant motivator of in-game harassers. David advocates for clear ways to report harassment. "In situations involving trolling, abuse or anything harmful, players need to know how to report it." He also thinks male-dominated game design may contribute to the problem. "We must see more women involved in game design and production so that the environment reflects all genders." But gamers aren't always using all available security features. "There's a fear that protecting a device might slow down the computer, but that doesn't have to be so. Gamers should check internet security solutions will work around their gaming experience. Look for gaming or do-not-disturb modes, which turn off notifications while you're playing." Ask non-binary people what they want from your products Jennifer Donahue is Head of Publishing and Marketing at HiDef games in California, US. She's worked in gaming for 25 years. Jen believes players care about being able to be themselves through their character or avatar. "Growing up, there were no strong female Jedi in Star Wars, so I wanted to be Luke Skywalker. I ended up mainly being male characters because I wanted those powers. Today, you have more options. You can largely create a character that looks like you." However, some groups are still largely marginalized from game character development. "We know non-binary folks have difficulty finding representation in avatars and gaming." Non-binary people are those who see themselves as neither male nor female. HiDef learned a lot from asking non-binary people directly what they wanted. "We did focus groups with non-binary players to understand what they wanted from game avatars. We found you have to let them do whatever they want with an avatar – whether it's accessories or customizing size and shape, or adding prosthetic limbs if you're disabled and want to show that." The non-binary players also suggested recording non-binary people dancing, as their dancing may differ from that of men or women. Jen says, "It's not just the avatar's appearance, but their actions. All these things help players authentically connect with their character." Leaders ensuring other leaders are respectful of women Jen feels the behavior of men in the workplace can still impact some women who work in gaming, but those at the top can change that. "Many men in the industry have grown up behaving in a certain way. As I have status in the industry now, I can help the next generation by calling out actions in the moment, in a professional, respectful way." She thinks more accepting, nurturing workplaces will pay off for companies. "When I'm in a safe space, I can bring my authentic self to work each day. That means I can perform at my best, as can my coworkers. Representation from different groups can only make products better." The gaming sector is growing fast with the evolution of immersive virtual worlds. It's an important future work sector. Today, huge groups of diverse players collaborate in-game to make environments they want to be in and share – homes and social spaces, festivals and galleries, even governments and schools. This is called 'world building' – it's opposite to the competitive, conflict-driven games of the last decades. There's more space opening for women and non-binary makers and players, and other diverse communities. Finally, games and virtual worlds could be part of the solution for some real-world problems we face.
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About Secure Futures

Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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