Last update: 09/03/2023
Gender diversity in these disciplines is key to social progress. That is why we have signed up to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, as part of our commitment to building a future where equality prevails in the world of work.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established 11 February as the date for recognising women and girls who wish to join, or are already part of, the world of technology and science; an event to also highlight the importance of equal access and participation in these fields.
According to this organisation, female researchers struggle to have careers on an equal footing to men in terms of duration and pay. They also experience problems with the recognition of their work – only 12% of members of scientific academies nationally are women. It also highlights their lower involvement in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, where one in five experts is female.
At Santander, we want to help change this reality. With that in mind, we are carrying out various initiatives in the countries in which we have a presence; developing local and international projects to promote the professional careers of women both inside and outside the Group; and taking a special interest in the development of digital skills.
We are firmly committed to ensuring that, in 2025, 35% of our organisation’s senior management positions will be held by women. In this regard, we believe that training is key to enhancing women’s leadership. So, each year we add new educational programmes and make progress in others that have already become a benchmark, such as the Santander Women Scholarships | W50 Leadership – London School of Economics Scholarships and the Santander Women Scholarships | Emerging Leaders – LSE.
of women in senior management positions by 2025
of women in senior management positions by 2025
female presence on our board of directors
female presence on our board of directors
Another example is the talent attraction programme of Santander Global Technology & Operations (Be Tech! with Santander), which grants a special place to this cause with its Women in Tech initiative; and Spain, with its successful “Mujeres con S” mentoring programme.
Other business units promote the entrepreneurship of people with low resources, such as Santander Mexico through its Tuiio financial inclusion programme, where 90% of applicants are women. Argentina also seeks to promote this idea with Banca Woman, in order to support female professionals in their projects. In both cases, training in technological skills is essential.
As a result of Banco Santander’s efforts in relation to gender equality, it has been recognised as one of the companies that most encourages inclusion and diversity in their teams by prestigious publications such as Bloomberg's 2023 Gender-Equality Index.