From Classroom to C-Suite: Why Economic Empowerment Starts with Empowering Women in Tech

By Iana Vidal, Head of UK Public Policy at Block, Inc.

At Block, our purpose is economic empowerment. It shapes our products - Square, Clearpay and Tidal - and it shapes how we engage with our communities. But the reality is: economic empowerment cannot exist without gender equity. When women are held back, economies are held back. And nowhere is this clearer than in technology.

The statistics are familiar but still frustrating. Women account for less than a quarter of the global tech workforce, and the pipeline problems start long before the boardroom. Girls continue to be underrepresented in STEM subjects like Computer Science at school, and those who do enter the industry hit barriers at every stage. This isn't only about fairness either. Diverse teams build better products. When more than half the population is missing from the rooms where technology decisions happen, we all miss out.

That's why techUK's TechTogether campaign matters. By looking at the full journey, from classroom to C-suite, we can tackle the systemic barriers that stop women entering, staying, and advancing in tech.

Starting early

A career in tech starts long before a job application. It starts with a young girl seeing herself in the industry. Role models who look like her. Pathways that feel possible. National Careers Week is a chance to show young people, particularly girls, what a future in technology could actually look like. At Block, we know visibility matters. When our women leaders share their stories, when we open our doors to students, when we invest in programmes introducing young people to coding and design, we're laying groundwork for careers that might not otherwise happen.

Getting women into work

Getting women into the workforce, and helping them stay, requires practical support. Block is a Primary Partner of Smart Works, the UK charity that gives unemployed women the clothing, coaching, and confidence to succeed in job interviews. Through Clearpay and Square UK, we're backing Smart Works' goal to help 10,000 women a year into employment.

Through its annual Unemployment Index, Smart Works monitors the success of women attempting to re-enter the workforce. And it’s no secret that with the opportunities for technology to transform hiring practices, there have also been challenges in helping driven, capable women overcome the barriers associated with applying for work in today’s economy. Our partnership leverages Block’s innovative tools and employee network to ensure that Smart Works clients understand how technology can enable their career ambitions, and guides them through practices to help them stay ahead of technological progress. When women have the tools and confidence to succeed in interviews, they gain more than a job. They gain financial independence and the ability to build futures for themselves and their families.

Building workplaces where women stay and progress

Recruitment is only part of the equation. Retention and progression matter just as much. At Block, our employee resource groups (we call them Block Communities) are central to how we work. These employee-led networks provide support, mentorship, and advocacy for women and other underrepresented groups.

We've also built checks into our systems to reduce bias in promotion and pay decisions. Managers receive prompts to consider their full bench of talent, checklists to counter unconscious bias, and decisions are audited before they're finalised. We publish our workforce diversity data annually because transparency creates accountability.

Block also supports initiatives like the FFinc Forward Faster Accelerator programme, which connects female founders with senior industry experts for practical advice and direct access to funding opportunities. While individual programmes like this are important, systemic issues need to be addressed at the core.

The policy angle

Company initiatives alone won't solve this. We need policy frameworks that encourage girls into STEM education, mandate pay transparency, support working parents, and hold organisations accountable for diversity outcomes. The UK has made progress, but there's further to go. Industry and government need to work in tandem.

What industry can do

TechTogether is a reminder that none of us can fix this alone. Industry has a responsibility - whether that’s business owners, teachers, policymakers, or tech businesses, we all have a role. There are multiple options to get started - mentoring a young woman considering tech, pushing for inclusive hiring, challenging bias when you see it, or supporting brilliant organisations like Smart Works which is doing the practical work of getting women into jobs.

At Block, we want to build an economy where everyone can participate fully. That means ensuring women have the same opportunities as men to enter, succeed, and lead in technology. From classroom to C-suite, this is work we need to do together.

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Iana Vidal, Head of UK Public Policy at Block, Inc

Iana leads Block’s engagement with government, regulators, and key stakeholders across the UK, influencing policy and regulation that supports innovation and economic empowerment in financial services. She brings extensive experience across public policy, having previously worked in trade bodies, professional organisations, and the not-for-profit sector.

About the campaign

techUK’s March TechTogether campaign continues with a focus on ‘empowering women in tech from classroom to c-suite'. Following International Women's Day our insights this week focus on female retention and growth in tech workplaces, spotlighting successful female tech leaders, gender pay disparities in the tech world, and addressing workplace biases and strengthening DEI initiatives.