Google have proposed 13 new emojis representing women in a wide range of professions. With the aim of “highlighting diversity in women’s careers and empowering girls everywhere”, Google recognises that for many people across the world, emojis are an increasingly important part of everyday communication and “a strong representation of culture”.

Emoji Feminism, a recent New York Times piece addresses the fact that women are currently “restricted to a smattering of tired, beauty-centric roles” and asks “where was the lawyer, the accountant, the surgeon?”.

Given that young women are the biggest users of emojis, and a recent report by Adweek showing 78% of all women are frequent users, it is hoped the creation of these new emojis will better reflect the roles held by women and support the growing global women’s equality movement.

The proposed emojis cover a range of professions with several from with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers:

• Industry – Factory worker, metallurgical worker, mechanic
• Industry – High tech industry worker, assembly line worker
• Industry – Mechanic, repair person, plumber, handy person
• Technology – Software engineer, person coding, working on laptop
• Scientist – Scientist, chemist, lab technician
• Business – Office worker, accountant, banker, manager, financial adviser, tax preparer, clerk
• Healthcare – Doctor, physician, MD
• Healthcare – Nurses, dentist, anaesthesiologist, radiologist
• Education – Graduate
• Farming – Farmer
• Food service – Chef, cook
• Education – Teacher, professor
• Music – Rocker, rockstar