The Gender Gap in the Technology Field and Efforts to Address It

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   ©2024 NPO Code for Everyone   The Gender Gap in the Technology Field and Efforts to Address It. Code for Everyone has been working towards the development of information education, starting with programming education in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as in local communities, since its establishment in 2015, with the vision of "Fostering a society where anyone can create." Just as I named this initiative "Code for Everyone" when I started it, I am constantly striving to achieve the vision by asking whether it is truly reaching "everyone." 　While we are engaged in various efforts to address this question, we recognize a significant gender gap in the field of technology. Therefore, addressing this gender gap has become a key focus of Code for Everyone. This document summarizes the current situation, challenges, and our important actions and perspectives. Achieving gender equality in the field of technology requires not only the efforts of us but also the cooperation of various stakeholders. We sincerely ask for your support and cooperation in alignment with the contents of this document. NPO Code for Everyone CEO Yuta Tonegawa

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Name NPO Code for Everyone Established July 2015 Representative Yuta Tonegawa Business Overview Promotion of Information and Technology Education Locations Yokohama Office (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) Computer Clubhouse Kaga (Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture) Mimimi Lab (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture) TEKU TECH Susaki (Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture) About us

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Activities details Code for Everyone has a vision of "Fostering a society where anyone can create" and addresses various disparities related to information education from both the perspective of school education and community education.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Table of Contents 1. Challenges to Gender Gap in Technology Field 2. The reason why Code for Everyone addresses the challenges 3. Our Actions 　1. Initiatives in school education 　2. Initiatives in a third place for Children 　3. Initiatives in information education 　4. Speaker Policy 　5. Organization

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   The technology landscape in Japan Gender Gap Index*1 125/146th Percentage of women enrolled in STEM fields*3 Lowest among OECD member states Percentage of female IT engineers in the information service industry*2 15.8% In terms of gender equality, Japan lags behind overall, and the gender gap in the technology sector is also a major challenge from an international perspective. *1: World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2023 *2:Information Service Industry Association The 2022 Basic Survey on Information Services Industry *3 Cabinet Oﬃce Policy Package for Education and Human Resource Development Towards the Realization of Society 5.0 Lagging significantly behind other countries. A gender gap is also apparent in the technology sector. The gender gap emerges from the very entrance to higher education.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Difference in Interests among Children Code for Everyone 「Survey on programming education and Informatics I 2022」 At any stage of primary or secondary schools, there is a gender difference on willingness to learn programming in the long term and prospects for choosing jobs. 【 Do you want to continue to learn programming? 】【 Do you think you will do programming-related work in future? 】 Primary School, Boys （n=498） Willing to learn in the future Not willing to learn more Yes Don’t know Probably no Not at all Primary School, Girls （n=497） Secondary School, Boys （n=536） Secondary School, Girls （n=462） High School, Boys （n=498） High School, Girls （n=497） Primary School, Boys （n=498） Primary School, Girls （n=497） Secondary School, Boys （n=536） Secondary School, Girls （n=462） High School, Boys （n=498） High School, Girls （n=497） Definitely yes

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Messages subconsciously received by children Based on Reports on Teachers’ career and life survey National Women’s Education Center 2018 22.8% of teachers think that “boys are better at science subjects”, and their "positive discrimination" and "hidden curriculum" at school have possibly a negative impact on girls’ willingness to learn scientific subjects 【Boys are better at scientific subjects? 】 Total Women Men Strongl y Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Difference in role consciousness expected from family/school/society Toys and books different by gender “Pink dolls for girls” “Active characters are boys” Circumstantial bias and stereotypes “Girls should behave like a girl” Circumstantial bias and stereotypes “Girls are poor at science” “Science is for boys” Positive discrimination “Great at programming for a girl” Hidden curriculum “Ask boys if you have questions” Absence of role models “Computer subjects taught by men have nothing to do with me” Parents’ expectation “Stable, traditional jobs are better” Circumstantial stereotypes “Programming is a male job” Absence of role models “Can’t imagine working in IT industry” In different phases of growth, they receive biased expectations from society, school, family, which could lead to uncoｎsciously narrowing their own choices

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Action needed 内閣府「男女共同参画白書令和元年版」【 Gender of science and mathematics teachers and humanities/science trends of female students】 When teachers of science and math courses are female, the percentage of female students who say they consider themselves to be science types increases. Necessary actions to close the gender gap, such as the existence of role models, are advocated. Both science and math teachers are male Either science or math teachers are female I am a humanities student I am more of a humanities student I am more of a science student I am a science student Neutral Not sure

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Social issues exist even within the company As the challenges of the gender gap in the technology field were recognized, we realized that challenges due to gender bias existed within our company, and we had serious doubts about our way of being. Vision a country where everyone can enjoy technology creatively Challenges in business activities Challenges in organization School education support Females make up less than 20% of programming teacher training participants A third place for children Girls make up less than 10% of the user population Male-centered maniac culture Ratio of female creators/deliverers: 0%. Decreased self-affirmation among female employees

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   A feature of Code for Everyone is that we implement the contents of the school education and children's safe spaces project throughout the country by influencing systems such as curriculum guidelines through policy proposals. Our Approach Policy Proposals School Education Support A third place for Children Create systems Increase the number of female teachers and create teaching materials that everyone can better understand Creating an place that is easy for all children to use Organization that supports and brings awareness to each other

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   3. Our Actions 1. Actions related to School Education 2. Actions related to Children's Safe Spaces 3. Actions related to Information Education 4. Speaker Policy 5. Organization ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード  

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Actions related to School Education We promote the active participation of female teachers in information education including programming. Ultimately, We aim at eliminating unconscious assumptions and gender gaps in school education such as “IT and science are for men.” We believe that by creating an environment where female teachers can confidently tackle programming education, we can provide opportunities for many children regardless of gender, to be interested in technology. We also support the creation of a community where like-minded female teachers can connect with each other and share their concerns and questions about teaching programming.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   We promote the active participation of female teachers in information education including programming. Ultimately, We aim at eliminating unconscious assumptions and gender gaps in school education such as “IT and science are for men.” - 2021 Adobe Inc. - 2022 Google - 2024 Yahoo! Fund Programming Education Training Program for Female Elementary School Teachers Even though 60% of elementary school teachers are women, more than 80% of the participants in the programming training sessions sponsored by Code for Everyone were men. Based on this realization, we have been running training programs and community for female elementary school teachers since 2021.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Developing a curriculum in collaboration to cultivate the ability to contribute to society in the field of technology. To eliminate the gender gap from the middle school level, Japan Women's University affiliated middle schools are developing and supporting a curriculum that includes programming and generative AI. In order to make information education inclusive in the 2030s, it is necessary to start preparing now for the discussions on the next national curriculum guidelines that will begin in the 2024 academic year.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Holding Girls' Day Code for Everyone operates the "Computer Clubhouse Kaga", a safe space for children which had long seen a female participation rate of less than 10%. Starting in 2022, persistent efforts such as holding a Girls' Day once a month exclusively for girls resulted in the female participation rate exceeding 30% by April 2023.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   3. Actions related to information education We would like to be a creator of the future of information education in Japan, working with school sites, teachers, educational administrators, academics, businesses, and local communities across the country, but we recognize that the stakeholders in the technology field and information education, both internally and externally, are biased toward men. Internally, we are improving the gender balance in the ideation and marketing phases of product development. Outside the company, when gender gaps are identified in various policy-related surveys and meetings, we take concrete actions to share these issues.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Improving gender balance in the product development process Code for Everyone recognizes that there is a gender bias among engineers, who are the creators of the product, and trainers, who are the deliverers, and is working to improve the gender balance in the development process. From this initiative, "ProguruLabs" was born, a class teaching material that allows anyone to learn basic computer mechanics while having fun. In particular, the “Drawing Course" and “Himitsu no Tegami(Secret Letter) Course" were developed by incorporating ideas from the iron beads and letter exchanges that our female employees enjoyed in elementary school. This resulted in the naming of the course materials being changed from the originally planned “Caesar's Cipher Course" to “Himitsu no Tegami(Secret Letter) Course" making the materials more familiar to children and students. Mitene Fund (Related Article) Programming Education in 2030: "Code for Everyone" Tackling a Historical Turning Point in Learning

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Raising Issues through Policy Recommendations ＜Recommendation Achievements＞ - Mentioned at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Study Group on the Way of Supporting Digital-related Club Activities" that it would like to consider gender balance in the management, judges, and other related personnel. - The "Survey of Information Technology Departments and Faculties in Universities in Japan" released in June 2022, raised the issue of the declining ratio of female students in information technology departments. - In the "Views on the "Tentative Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI at the Primary and Secondary Education Level" published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2023/7, the issue of improving the gender balance in practice and discussion was raised. We would like to be a creator of the future of information education in Japan, working with school sites, teachers, educational administrators, academics, businesses, and local communities across the country, but we recognize that the stakeholders in the technology field and information education, both internally and externally, are biased toward men. When gender gaps are identified in various policy-related surveys and meetings, we take concrete actions to share these issues.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   4. Speaker Policy Not only are we mindful of the gender balance when we host the event, but we also ask the organizers to improve the gender balance of any opportunities to which we are invited, and we recommend other candidates if necessary.Not only are we mindful of the gender balance when we host the event, but we also ask the organizers to improve the gender balance of any opportunities to which we are invited, and we recommend other candidates if necessary.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Improvement in gender balance at our events At the events in technology fields and about informatics education, the majority of the speakers are usually men. Code for Everyone take into account gender balance at our events. If we have concern about the gender balance of the event to which we were invited, we ask the hosts to improve it and recommend other candidates if needed. e.g. The events held by Code for Everyone in 2023

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Generative AI events only for women Being aware of the underrepresentation of the women as speakers at cutting-edge technology events, we held generative AI experiential events by female speakers only for women. As a result, 160 women joined the events. e.g. The events held by Code for Everyone in 2023

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Reviewed our message We are always mindful of unconscious bias in our visuals and key messages used for reports, events etc. For our event, TEEN SUMMIT KAGA 2023, we were determined to make a great opportunity for more women by making them feel welcomed and want to join.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Organization With the vision of "Building a country where everyone can enjoy technology creatively", we work on growth on informatics education by mainly offering programming education to schools and communities. We focus on forming a robust organization to be aware of whether or not we are reaching to "everyone".

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Vision “Fostering a society where anyone can create“ The critical question we value most in realizing our vision is whether it is truly delivered to everyone. - In every school across the nation - Regardless of regional or family circumstances - Transcending gender or language barriers Code for Everyone aims to build a nation where all children can realize their potential through technology and create new value.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Value Updates Code for Everyone champions the value of diversity with the motto “Let’s seek awareness”. Moving beyond simply recognizing organizational diversity, we aim to include different perspectives that we may have previously overlooked, and eventually deliver them to society through our initiatives. We are committed to building an organization that actively ensures our actions reach “everyone”. 4 values of Code for Everyone Let’s start with the children Let’s have a try Let’s build a system Let’s seek awareness

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Culture The social sector plays a role for confronting the social issues we face, involving relevant organizations while shaping the future. In order for many complex social issues to be resolved, we need more people with passion in the social sector than ever before. Code for Everyone hopes to create an organization that tackles more social issues with an organizational culture that supports the passions of those involved.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Building Relationships That Turn Discomfort into Action A supportive organizational culture cannot be built overnight. We began by fostering relationships and creating a common language around diversity to establish a foundation where we can challenge the status quo and engage in meaningful discussions. Laying the Foundation for Relationships Recognize Discomfort and Engage in Dialogue Create a Common Language Take Action as a Team ・Organizational Design ・Sharing Instruction Manuals ・Communication Planning ・Redesigning Company Offsites ・Why are there so few women involved in creating textbooks and educational materials? ・Why are there so few girls using technology-related facilities? ・Why are there so few female students choosing STEM fields? ・Why are there so few women teaching STEM subjects? ・Is it truly reaching "everyone"? ・Coaching Workshops ・Diversity Workshops ・Unconscious Bias Training ・Updating Values

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Diversity in Decision-Making Level Positions We have expanded our organization while considering the diversity of our members' attributes and ages. Notably, the percentage of women in our total workforce has increased from 21% in 2019 to 57% in 2024, and in our management team, from 25% in 2019 to 66% in 2024. Moving forward, we will also focus on diversity in terms of job roles. ※2023年までは7月末日時点、2024年は1月末日時点

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Commitment to Our Initiatives Akiko Suginohara | COO It took me a long time to feel discomfort with the existing landscapes and structures. I aspire for our organization to provide inclusive information education and shape the future for children. We are building an organization that is aware and responsive. Yusuke Ando | CTO While the importance of technology continues to grow, women's participation in this field is still insufficient. We are fully committed to developing leaders and role models and creating inclusive educational materials. Miyuki Tajima | Information Education Researcher When implementing any system, I believe it is crucial to consider from the outset whether it will truly reach "everyone" and to maintain this perspective. To expand the circle of empathy, I aim to consistently hold the perspective of "everyone" myself. Yurika Kamano | Future Learning Exploration Department Through my own experiences and involvement in school education, I have realized that a small trigger or formative experience can significantly change a person's choices and future. Moving forward, I want to continue my efforts while being mindful of adopting perspectives from different angles Masaaki Takeya | Future Learning Exploration Department Participants in ICT-related workshops are predominantly male. I only began to feel discomfort with this because of the learning environment I am in now. I will continue to develop my own perspective and work to raise awareness among those around me. Shiho Furuoka | Computer Clubhouse Kaga After moving to Ishikawa Prefecture, I realized that I was unknowingly surrounded by biases. I believe that small gestures and careful language in my interactions with children and their parents can help bridge gaps, and I act with this belief in mind.

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©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード   Conclusion Thank you for reviewing this material. We didn't start out where we are today. Around 2019, our employees said "Code for Everyone was a niche culture where men talked about information education and programming." Looking back, it was a service developed by an all-male team and delivered by men, with myself at the center. Like the small "let's try it" actions introduced in this document, I have been learning along the way. The world that children see cannot be changed by a single organization. We hope to connect with educational institutions, government agencies, academic institutions, and companies that share the same vision, and to expand this circle. If there's anything we can collaborate on, please feel free to contact us ([email protected]). Code for Everyone will continue to work towards closing the gender gap and improving diversity in the technology sector, contributing to the creation of new value and a better future for children. NPO Code for Everyone CEO Yuta Tonegawa ©2024 特定非営利活動法人みんなのコード  