Technology, an invaluable tool to make an inclusive world

March 15, 2021 4 min read

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In Latin America, women represent 40% of the economically active population. But we did not reach 15% of female entrepreneurs, as indicated by the study Brechas para el Entrepreneurship , carried out by the Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) and the Association of Entrepreneurs of Latin America ( ASELA ).

The biggest barrier for female entrepreneurs is achieving a work-life balance. To this we add a significant challenge for company founders: obtaining financing.

In the region known as the Pacific Alliance, which includes Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, 90% of those who access private financing are men, the IDB and ASELA research abounds.

Despite these challenges and the ravages of Covid-19, many Mexican women have strength every day and work very hard to get ahead. Today women enter the labor market more frequently, which is why the labor participation gap has decreased in the last 15 years.

The proportion of working women increased by five percentage points; On average, 40.7% of women and 75% of men are in the labor market. However, there are still differences in general working conditions between men and women. There is no equal opportunity and not the same treatment in employment.

This according to the study Decent work in Mexico 2005-2020: Analysis with a gender perspective , presented by the Center for Research on Women in Senior Management ( CIMAD ) of the Ipade Business School with the support of AT&T Mexico .

Following in the footsteps of powerful women

Victories are achieved with many wise advice, that is why we invite you to participate in the Woman 4.0 webinar, forming alliances and leadership with a cause , organized by Entrepreneur and Mastercard, which will take place on March 17 at 3:00 pm through the Entrepreneur networks in Spanish.

There are four speakers: Marcela Carrasco, president of the Andean Division of Mastercard, Silvina Moschini, CEO of SheWorks! and TransparentBusiness, Gabriela Lucke, director of the INCAE Women’s Leadership and Collaborative Center, and Claudia Corona, founder of Impronta Verde and Co-Leader of the 30% Club.

They know that technology makes a company powerful and efficient. It is precisely technology that has allowed us to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the participation of women in the technology sector in Mexico is very low, only 9% of technology companies are led by women. This is stated by Endeavor , a non-profit organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs.

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Learning from a multinational CEO

One of the speakers at the Mujer 4.0 webinar, forming alliances and leadership with a cause is Marcela Carrasco, president of the Andina Division at Mastercard. His expertise is to design and implement strategies in the area of technology and generate new business opportunities. She has been with Mastercard for 11 years. Before that, she was at Banco Superior for 11 years and two years as vice president of consumer affairs at Banco Davivienda.

“I am passionate about knowing that technology is an invaluable tool to make an inclusive world, beyond money. The inclusion of everyone becomes a fundamental step in the creation of a sustainable and equitable society, ”says Marcela Carrasco on LinkedIn.

As responsible for the business strategies of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Peru and Venezuela, he constantly promotes the creation and adoption of new payment solutions that are safe, reliable and easy to use. She faithfully believes in the role of women as agents of disruption and change in leadership and business growth processes. He forcefully warns that: “Not taking women into account is not taking half the population into account.”

Join us next March 17 to the Women 4.0 panel, forming alliances and leadership with a cause , where you can learn more about how women can gain better spaces and boost their growth.

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