The business and entrepreneurial sector is still led by men. During Women’s Week, we spoke to four young women who stand out in the digital and technology world to hear about their experience and their views on the topics and challenges in women’s careers. The conclusion is shared: achieving greater equality is everyone’s job.

Cristina Aixendri (bound4blue.com), Diana Ballart (The Smart Lollipop), Natasha Duran (Naduku) and Judit Giró (The Blue Box) explain their experience on the topics that affect women’s professional careers in a talk moderated by Xavier Capellades (Nomo).

Take Aways:

• “The entrepreneurial scene gives the possibility to create a world. Women leading this world has the potential to make an impact”. Diana Ballart
• “We have to keep up with the new generations: the young women of today have a lot of potential and they are going to change things. Natasha Duran
• “The decision to prioritise childcare ahead of our personal lives is usually made not by us but by society.” Judit Giró
• “Of course, glass ceilings have to be broken, but we should also think about why they are not for men and make sure that the best ones get there”. Cristina Aixendri

Work-life balance

Achieving a work-life balance is a challenge for most families, but it is even more complicated when it comes to entrepreneurship. “For me, work-life balance is difficult, but I see it as a lifelong process. Now I work a lot, maybe later I will have time”, says Cristina Aixendri. But it’s not all about time. To devote so much effort to a project, it is important to “believe in what you do and choose thinking about yourself”, adds Diana Ballart.

Entrepreneurship as a form of empowerment

Despite efforts to achieve equality, the business world is still very masculinised. In this context, female leaders can act as role models and encourage other women to become entrepreneurs. “To change things there is theory and practice, and we are trying the latter to generate change from within”, says Judit Giró. “As a woman entrepreneur I know that we are an example for other women, we have to be listened to and valued”, explains Natasha Duran.

Glass ceiling

The speakers agree on the existence of the invisible barrier that, in many cases, prevents women from rising to management positions or accessing investment. However, they explain that the new generations are helping to break this barrier. Judit Giró states that “a woman has perhaps had to prove her worth three times over in front of an investor, this gives us more resilience”. Cristina Aixendri considers that we should all have the same rules and “think about why these glass ceilings are not raised for men as well”.