Earlier this week, Paris, France, hosted the international Generation Equality Forum, gathering the world leaders for the first time since the pandemic. This year’s Forum was co-chaired by Mexico and France, while the entire event was organized under the support of UN Women.
One of the important topics was the improvement of the position of women in STEM sciences, especially when it comes to technology and innovation. Under Finland’s leadership, Chile, Rwanda, Armenia, and Tunisia will establish closer cooperation with Microsoft and UNICEF to promote this cause worldwide.
According to data presented at the Forum, 5% of boys wish to work in ICT when they grow up. Comparing this to the 0.5% of girls who want the same, the disparity is striking. The digital gender divide prevails here, and in many other professions seen as ‘’traditionally male.’’
Conclusions of the Forum suggest that the organizations take a more proactive approach to include girls and teenagers in their activities. Furthermore, there needs to be significant effort in raising awareness to minimalize the chances of marginalization and gender discrimination in STEM.
Being established in 1995, the Generation Equality Forum represents the world’s first international conference that deals with the rights of women. The aim has been to improve gender equality in six key areas of business and general wellbeing through a network of different stakeholders ranging from governments to the private sector.
