Professor Sarah Atkinson: ‘Women’s seminal contributions in creative tech are often hidden’

In 2024, women are still a minority in the STEM sectors. Even though the percentage of female STEM graduates is increasing, women are less likely to integrate into the labour market and to occupy higher leadership roles. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023, women account for only 29.2% of all workers in science, technology, engineering and maths. The percentage of women working in artificial intelligence has increased by only 4 per cent since 2016.

The issue of underrepresentation also persists in creative tech. Women artists have been at the forefront of the first Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) explorations, they have been leading the development of computer and 3D animation and have redefined the video art scene. Their contributions, however, are often overlooked and uncredited. Professor Sarah Atkinson in the Department of Culture, Media & Creative Industries here at King’s sheds light on the women trailblazing creative innovation through her project, GLoW3 – Global Leadership of Women in Web 3.0.