Google engineers have designed a set of 13 emojis that they say better represent women in the world of work.
The designs have been presented to the Unicode consortium, the body that approves and standardises emojis.
The team said that they hoped the samples would “empower young women (the heaviest emoji users) and better reflect the pivotal roles women play in the world”.
It includes healthcare workers, scientists and businesswomen.
The team of four Google employees cited a New York Times op-ed called “Emoji Feminism” as the motivation for its new designs.
“Where, I wanted to know, was the fierce professional working her way to tenure? Where was the lawyer? The accountant? The surgeon?” asks Amy Butcher in the piece.
“We are told we are the new generation of American women; no longer a minority, we are, in fact, the majority of breadwinners in American homes. And yet the best we can get is the flamenco [dancer].”