On 19 June, Digital4Her conference will take place in Brussels, focusing on building concrete measures to ensure gender equality in the digital sector. The conference will be hosted by Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel. The event will gather together a broad range of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, academics and representatives of the digital industry and the public sector.
The aim of this conference is threefold: to promote digital skills and science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies among girls; to build a network and streamline opportunities for female entrepreneurs; and to limit gender stereotypes in the media.
According to a recent Commission study “Women in the Digital Age,” the number of women taking up education and pursuing careers in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has been decreasing, while vacancies in ICTs has been increasing.
The study also found that if more women were to enter the digital jobs market, it could boost the EU’s GDP by €16 billion each year. In light of this study, Commissioner Gabriel developed an action-plan to facilitate an increase in the participation of women in the digital sector as part of the Digital Single Market strategy.