Welcome to the Glass Age

185 origins are in general more open to new ideas, procedures and experiments, and are thus more innovative. Research departments in multinational companies that actively develop programs to hire and retain women (as well as ethnic minorities) throughout their careers have long recognized this [7]. Diversity increases quality [8]. The more diverse the background and experiences of the researchers, the less likely it is that research is biased, or that products target only part of the market. The closer to reality the research is, the better it can produce products that people actually need and use. Having gender balance in research brings science closer to society by reflecting its actual composition. Gender equality facilitates the inclusion of social needs and the targeting of areas otherwise easily neglected in the research agenda. Gender equity improves efficiency . This agrees with a new orientation of universities towards business strategies. The economic world asks for more qualified personnel as ‘human capital’; starting from a lack of qualified men, it turns to women and immigrants, considering the recruitment of highly qualified female researchers as a prime policy objective, particularly in male dominated fields like engineering, and even going beyond national borders. Gender equity increases international competitiveness . Universities and research institutions with very few female professors could lose out in international competition against partners with greater participation of women researchers, thus counting on a larger pool of talent, and the benefits of increased quality brought about by greater diversity. Benefits of mainstreaming diversity in business Businesses are unlikely to change their corporate cultures because doing so is “nice” or “fair” for women. They may do it if there is a compelling business reason to do so. The bottom-line reasons to achieve gender diversity in leadership are indeed compelling. The business case for gender diversity and inclusion affects [9] [10]: • Returns. Gender diversity in leadership is strongly correlated with higher returns, profitability and share price. Diverse groups (while harder to manage) simply perform better. Companies with a higher percentage of women in executive positions have a 34% higher total return to shareholders than those that do not. Companies with the most women directors outperform those with the least return on invested capital by 26%. • MSCI Inc. studied the financial performance of U.S. companies from 2011-2016 and found that those with at least three women on the board had median gains in return on equity 11% higher, and earnings per share 45% higher, than companies with no women directors. • Gallup studied 800 business units from the retail and hospitality industries in 2014. They found that gender-diverse business units had better financial outcomes, including revenue and net profit, than those dominated by one gender. • The Credit Suisse Research Institute reported that companies with at least one woman on their board outperformed the peer group by 26% over the preceding six years. • Talent pipeline. To have the most skilled and talented workforce, a business must attract and retain women as well as men. Engaging as much of your workforce as possible is good business; involved employees do more and better work and are less likely to leave. • Women’s market. Women represent a growing portion of the customers, clients and partners of many businesses, having huge buying power. Tapping this market is crucial to business growth. Gender matters more and more, and significant changes are glimpsed in SciTech. Indeed, women in tech are committed to staying in the industry