There is also a gender gap in the world of scientific disciplines. Women are historically further away from scientific disciplines (le Stem, i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). It will be discussed on May 18, 2022 at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan thanks to hacker_, Italian review on the technological gender gap which aims to bring girls closer to that technological-scientific hemisphere which today is still mainly the prerogative of men.
A social and cultural split that is not only Italian and is not recent. It has its roots in the centuries and knows no geographical limits. The Stem world still falls under the aegis of a patriarchal culture.
The analysis
Stem subjects and Italian women: a complicated relationship
by Alessio Jacona
July 12, 2021
But what are the origins of the gender gap, are they ‘only’ patriarchal heritage or is there more? For Scilla Signs, creator of hackher_ and active in the field of digital training of girls and boys: “They are absolutely a cultural heritage, there is no objective data that demonstrates that women cannot fulfill the same male tasks in the technological and / or business field” . To remedy it, it is necessary: “To educate the new generations to a broader vision, which takes into consideration the person and their abilities even before sex and the stereotypes associated with it. Raise awareness of public opinion, companies, institutions, so that it is talked about more and more and because concrete actions are taken to bridge this gap ”adds Signa.
The situation in Italy
The Global Gender Gap Report 2021, edited by the World Economic Forum (Wef), places Italy in 63rd place among the 156 countries examined. Only 15.72% of girls choose a technology course, less than half of boys (33.93%). Better results than the Italian one were recorded, for example, in Madagascar, Nicaragua and Colombia.
Digital
Italian Tech Academy is born. Italy’s challenge for digital skills
Archangel Rociola
April 29, 2022
The global situation
The same report signals the worsening of gender disparity in the Stem world everywhere and, although there are substantial differences in some cultures, even in virtuous countries the differences are considerable. In Iceland, a land that for twelve years has stood at the top of the ranking drawn up by the WEF, only 10.25% of female graduates choose a career in the Stem sector compared to 26.6% of graduates.
The consequences of the gender gap
Confining the consequences of gender differences to mere trade union demands is limiting. It is good to highlight the most recent She Figures report, drawn up by the European Commission in 2021 on Eurostat data from 2018.
Key information indicates that, if all university disciplines are taken into consideration, the Europe of 27 is reaching gender equality, as women account for 48.1% of doctoral students. The female figures who are part of the academic staff are 42.3% and the gender issue is felt even more markedly if we consider the positions that enjoy decision-making power, whereas women are 23.6%.
By decreasing the level of abstraction and entering the maze of scientific and technological disciplines the percentage of female students drops to 24.9%. One woman for every four students.
Leaving the university fields but remaining in the Stem world, women have more difficulty in receiving research funding and, finally, in the circle of inventors the ratio between men and women leans in favor of the former (89.7% against 10, 3%).
Gender gap
WikiDonne, the project to rebalance the female presence on Wikipedia
by Emanuele Capone
April 13, 2022
What is hackher_
Now in its second edition after the one in Turin in 2021, it is a moment of sharing and reflection. This year it will bring 100 high school students in Milan closer to the Stem world with a day dedicated to technology during which prominent female personalities will talk about their experiences, offer insights into the gender gap and show the ways to go to overcome it. A debate moderated by the journalist Simone Spetia (Radio 24, presenter of 24 Mattino) which will be attended by Barbara Lucini (Head of People Value & Engagement of Generali Italia and HR Director of Generali Welion), Sandra Mori (European Former DPO of Coca-Cola, director of the Politecnico di Milano and Fondazione Milano), Giulia Rossi (Principal Digital Innovation Lead – South Europe Amazon Web Services), Guia Lanciani (Customer Care & Supply Chain Director, EMEA Order to Deliver Lead Medtronic), Lucia Cariati (HR and DE&I Manager Sodexo Italia), Piera Carrà (Chief Information Officer Avio Aero – a GE Aviation Business), Giulia Pastorella (Municipal Councilor of Milan, President of the Civic Services Commission, Digitization) and Barbara Terenghi (Chief Sustainability Officer & CEO’s Office Director Edison).
In addition to the public, the event will be attended by CEOs of large companies, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, representatives of institutions, teachers and journalists.
How does the public react? How do companies and institutions that witness hackher react and, more generally, is there a real sensitivity towards the gender gap issue? “In this second edition – explains Signa – I had a very strong expression of interest on the part of big brands that have totally made themselves available to help us support the event, not only economically, but also humanly and showing a strong desire for continuity . It seemed to me that almost everyone intends to increase the numbers linked to the girls involved and the cities reached ”.
La gara: learning by doing
The 100 students, divided into 10 groups, will have to create an application by immersing yourself in the ideal procedure to shape it: from the exchange of ideas to teamwork, assisted by experts who will guide them up to the presentation of the project. The best will receive a prize worth 1,000 euros and will be chosen by a jury composed of Floriana Ferrara (Corporate Social Responsibility Country Manager & Master Inventor IBM Italia), Mara Tanelli (Full Professor of Automatic Control and Member of the steering committee of “POP : Equal Opportunities at Politecnico di Milano “), Nicoletta Mastropietro (Director of Innovation, Digital and R&D at A2A), Aurora Simonetti (Senior HR Manager Red Hat Italy) and Paola Scarpa (Client Solution, Data & Insights Director of Google Italy).
The future of hackher_
hackher_ is a path that takes place over several stages. After Turin and Milan, events in other cities are planned in the near future with the aim of involving a greater number of girls, institutions and companies. The next stop will be in Rome in November 2022. An awareness and discussion program that enjoys the support of the European Parliament and large companies.
In addition to the main sponsorship of Generali Italia, hackher_ has the support of Google, IBM, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Edison, Fastweb, Medtronic, Sodexo Italia, a2a, Avio Aero, Red Hat, Bip, SIDI, Microelettrica, MFT, Movida , MockFlow, Anitec-Assinform and more. “The strength of this event – concludes Signa – is linked to this decidedly anomalous consortium, in which there are brands notoriously competing with each other (Google and Amazon, Edison and a2a …) but which have been able to go beyond the purely commercial and come together to make the message heard stronger. The European Parliament sponsored the event and therefore we intend to climb in Europe ”.
The elements of the fairy tale are all there: there is the castle, there is a danger to avert and a situation to rectify. The ending, however, is still to be written.