As the industry prepares to celebrate International Women's Day tomorrow, let's take a look at what some of the key players in the telecom space, from network operators to industry bodies to technology solution vendors, are doing to improve digital inclusion for women, uphold gender equality and empowerment and raise awareness on crucial issues including the gender pay gap.
Yettel unveils findings of gender pay gap research, announces scholarship program to encourage women in STEM
Leading Hungarian network operator, Yettel, yesterday announced the findings of its research into gender stereotypes at work. The research, which was conducted via a nationwide, representative survey, revealed that women regularly encountered negative stereotypes regarding their appearance, their personality, their intellectual ability or their parental role at work. The report also highlights that those aged 18-35 years seemed to encounter such prejudices in their workplace environment more.
More than half of the respondents believe that it is easier to assert themselves as a man in a workplace, and almost half of them (47%) think the same when it comes to job hunting. Of female respondents, 59% have felt the expectation that they should be kind and understanding in all situations, while only 31% of men felt the same.
The research also revealed that 50% of women have, at least once, been in a situation where their opinion was considered less relevant because of their gender. In addition, many indicated that there was a time when they were not considered suitable for a position (44%).
The research also highlighted that 6 out of 10 employees believe that their current workplace could do more to promote gender equality. According to the respondents, this could be improved, among other things, if men and women were paid the same, but measures such as ensuring maternity leave for men and women also proved important.
On the occasion of Women's Day, Yettel also announced that Óbuda University is jointly announcing a scholarship program with the János Neumann Faculty of Informatics to promote mobile technology and technical fields as an attractive academic choice for young women. The total amount of the scholarship for one year is HUF 5 million, which can be won by 4 students per semester. The program will be launched as a pilot project in the first year, and the continuation will be decided after evaluating the results. The details of the announcement will be published soon at the János Neumann Faculty of Informatics of Óbuda University.
Enikő Szalai, HR Deputy General Manager, Hungary, Yettel
At the same time as the representative research, we also asked our own employees about the topic. For a long time, we believe that the issue of equality is equally important for women and men, and our colleagues have confirmed this, and even confirmed us that they encounter any kind of discrimination at a very low rate. Among other things, it was revealed that according to two-thirds of the respondents, it is just as easy to establish yourself as a woman as a man in the company, and more than 80% of them believe that we do a lot to achieve equal opportunities between women and men. Such a measure is, for example, the paternity leave introduced in 2021, which provides new fathers with an additional twenty days of paid leave in addition to the statutory holidays, but I can also mention our latest university cooperation, which also strengthens this spirit.
GSMA welcomes Axian Telecom onboard Connected Women Commitment Initiative, to promote digital inclusion in Madagascar and Togo
AXIAN Telecom has announced its participation in the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, marking a significant step towards reducing the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services across Africa.
To increase digital literacy among women, AXIAN Telecom’s subsidiaries are running mobile internet awareness and digital skills campaigns. They are also innovating our service delivery to include remote support for purchasing and using mobile services, and deploying female field agents to ensure that women, regardless of their location or responsibilities like childcare, have seamless access to our services.
In alignment with this commitment, AXIAN Telecom’s subsidiary, Telma Madagascar, pledges to elevate the presence of women within its customer base by July 2025. Furthermore, by December 2025, it is targeting an increase in the proportion of female customers actively using compatible data phones.
Similarly, AXIAN Telecom’s subsidiary in Togo, TOGOCOM, is dedicated to enhancing women’s inclusion within its customer base. By December 2026, TOGOCOM endeavours to raise the proportion of women in its data user customer base, along with an increase in the number of women utilising mobile money services.
Stéphane Oudin, CEO, AXIAN Telecom
We are proud to join the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative. As an African brand, we understand our role in advancing lives, particularly for women on the continent. This milestone reinforces our dedication to promoting women’s digital and financial inclusion across Africa so that more women can access and benefit from mobile internet and financial services. This carries significant socio-economic benefits, offering women financial independence and the ability to contribute to national economies.
Vodafone celebrates Equal Pay Day, reflects on 'traffic light' system established to tackle gender pay gap
According to Vodafone, the unadjusted gender pay gap in Germany is currently around 18%, while the adjusted gender pay gap between women and men with the same education and qualifications is 6%. At Vodafone, this corresponding pay difference between women and men is currently 2.5%, putting the company in a good position below the national average. Since 2017, this indicator has been intensively tracked at Vodafone, statistically evaluated and improved through numerous measures.
Vodafone, which has been long been committed to equal pay, has taken numerous measures to address the gender pay gap. For example, when salary offers are created, the average of women's current remuneration compared to men's is automatically displayed. For this purpose, Vodafone uses software that provides information at any time about the current remuneration of comparable roles in the department or throughout the company. Traffic light colors indicate to managers green, yellow or red areas and possible need for action. Since its introduction in 2017, Vodafone's adjusted gender pay gap has reduced to 2.5%.
In addition to this, fair and equal pay is taken into account at Vodafone at all phases of personnel planning and development. Salaries and benefits are paid based on objective criteria, so all employees are paid according to their function, qualifications and performance - regardless of gender, origin or identity. The salary level for employees is determined depending on a collective agreement or based on the job evaluation and salary ranges. In addition to this fair remuneration, Vodafone also offers flexible additional benefits, such as retirement provision, accident and occupational disability insurance or health measures.
Felicitas von Kyaw, HR Managing Director, Vodafone
Fair and equal pay is an essential element of an inclusive working environment, which is very important to us at Vodafone. Equal Pay Day raises awareness of the gender pay gap, but we don't need a flash in the pan. We must pay attention to pay equity every day and in every salary negotiation. This is the only way we can avoid gender-based discrimination when determining salaries and stop the gender pay gap before it arises.
