Although women have been the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to UN reports, women are the ones who have sought the most to study and prepare by taking advantage of online education options.
A recent study by the Platzi platform indicates that the development of new skills has exponentially motivated women’s interest in learning on online platforms. Thus, with a general growth of 40% of students on the platform, the participation of women in Platzi courses means an increase of 128% in less than a year; that is, 20% more participation than men, in the last year.
By countries, the one that grew the most in the participation of women in the platform was Ecuador, with 80%; followed by Peru, with 57%; Mexico with 49%; Chile with 45%; Argentina, 40%, Colombia, 38%, and Venezuela, with 30%.
But not only have more women enrolled in more courses, but they have also demonstrated their commitment, participating and getting involved in discussion forums, where the participation of women has grown by 70%, against 40% by the mens. “Contributions from women grew 203%, against 150% among men. These figures show that women experience the Platzi digital community as a safe space to participate, where their contributions are free from stereotyped or biased judgments, derived from community norms ”, they say from Platzi.
“At Platzi we are actively working to bridge the digital gender gap in Latin America,” said Ingrid Zúñiga, Platzi Communication and Public Relations manager. “We are strict with our community code of conduct, which does not tolerate any bias and guarantees a safe place for women,” he added.
The report also indicates that more and more women are taking leadership roles as teachers in specialized subjects. With regard to entrepreneurship and digital content on the platform, Platzi has promoted a greater presence of female teachers, driving an average growth of 107%, that is, 30% more than the growth of male teachers.
Web development and data science, the favorites of the ladies
While the top priority for women is learning English, the pandemic has catapulted women’s interest in technology. According to Platzi, the Schools of Web Development, Digital Marketing and Data Science They are in the top 5 of demand by women with an average growth of 160%.
“Derived from the current situation due to coronavirus, today the priority is to strengthen soft, social and interpersonal skills to face the challenges of today. In this regard, with 194%, courses such as emotional intelligence and productivity are the most demanded ”, they explain from Platzi.
However, despite the increase in women training in technology, the gender gap remains high and there is a long way to go. “Although we celebrate the advances, we are still alarmed by the existing limitations such as the time that women can dedicate to study compared to the male gender. We must continue working actively in this regard, “added Zúñiga.
For this, the platform has created programs and events that promote the active participation of women in technology. An example of this are the Olympics Platzi, a competition with prizes of up to $ 40,000 accumulated in cash to motivate online learning. Similarly, there is also Platzi Master, the specialized program to promote talent with great potential for the technology industry in Latin America.
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