March 14th was a very special day for women all over the United Kingdom, as over 1000 young people, along with the Queen of England came together to celebrate Commonwealth Day. Commonwealth day is the celebration of the special partnership of nations, peoples, and ideals which represent the modern Commonwealth. The observance represents a different theme each year, and this year's theme was "Women as agents of change".This particular theme is especially important to us, given all that we do to increase women's participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. At Intel, our focus is not simply on the technology we make - It's what we make possible for people around the world. We believe that to foster innovation and drive economic growth, we need to enable everyone, especially women and girls with educational and entrepreneurial skills.
Statistics show that four in ten companies worldwide have no women in senior management. It's for this reason that we are actively engaged in programs that provide women and girls access to technology, offer scholarships and grants that encourage them to pursue education in technical fields, enable them to pursue entrepreneurial paths, and offer significant opportunities in the workplace.
After meeting Her Majesty the Queen, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Dr. Martina Roth, responsible for Intel's Global Education Strategy, Research and Policy, spoke today regarding the importance of women in business. Dr. Roth said, "It is estimated by UNESCO that just a one percent increase in female education would increase that nation's GDP by over a third of a percent. This, as well as many other statistics and cases we hear today are reason enough for the private sector to take responsibility for improving the prospects of women and girls around the world."
These statistics compel us to act, knowing that the success of our company cannot be separated from the health of the planet and of economies around the world.
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