The European Commission’s Digital Agenda released a new study on October 3rd, 2013 titled “Women active in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector”. It ultimately stresses the importance of increasing the percentage of women in the ICT sphere, but also provides a multifaceted view of the sector to date. The report looks into the current state of women in the ICT sector and examines the number of women occupying the sector in Europe, how long they work within the sector and what types of positions they occupy. Additionally it dissects some of the factors preventing women from fully participating in the ICT sector and sets goals to improve on the current situation.

The main message that the report conveys is that “getting more girls interested in a digital career and getting more women into digital jobs would benefit the industry, women themselves and Europe’s economy” (Commission Report: Women Active in ICT) on a broader scale. Stressing the crucial economic and social significance of introducing more women into ICT oriented careers, will hopefully aid in working towards the objective of balancing the gender representation in the sector. European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes states: “We now know, beyond doubt, that more women in a business mean a healthier business,…, and Europe’s economy [can] benefit from their enormous potential”.

The report reveals that of 1000 women with a Bachelors or other first degree, only 29 pursued studies in ICTs, as compared to 95 men. Furthermore, only 4 in 1000 women eventually end up working in the ICT sector and are much more likely to leave the sector mid-career – while 20% of women aged 30 with ICT-related degrees work in the sector, only 9% of women above 45 years of age do so. As in other professional fields, women are under-represented in managerial and decision-making positions; but with 19.2% female bosses in ICT compared to 45.2% in non-ICT related occupation.

In regards to barriers preventing women from fully participating in the sector, the study discerns three major trends: (1) cultural traditions and stereotypes regarding women’s roles, (2) internal barriers and socio-psychological factors, such as lack of self-confidence, risk-aversion or negative attitudes towards competition, (3) external barriers, such as strongly male-dominated environment, difficulties in balancing personal and professional life and lack of role models.

As concluding remarks the report finds an immense potential in respect to the accrued integration of women in the ICT sector. The European GDP is expected to increase annually by around EUR 9 billion and the ICT organisations would substantially benefit as businesses if they are more inclusive of women in management. The study claims that they could achieve a 35% higher Return on Equity and 34% better total return to shareholders than other comparable organisations. Moreover, the study found that women in the ICT sector earn up to 9% more than women in other parts of the economy and have higher flexibility in the arrangement of their work life.

With these aspects in mind, the Commission’s study suggests four priority areas of action:

• Building a renewed image of the sector among women and society, with actions such as disseminating most appealing ICT topics for young women (exciting, diverse, profitable etc.)
• Empowering women in the sector, e.g. promoting, together with industry, harmonised European educational curricula to foster clear and straightforward ICT careers paths;
• Increasing the number of women entrepreneurs in ICTs, e.g. improving access to seed and venture capital programs for women entrepreneurs; and
• Improving working conditions in the sector, e.g. by highlighting the improved performance of businesses employing women. By showcasing a variety of profiles of women working in ICT jobs, the study sets a good example in how to attract more girls and women to consider careers in the area of digital technology.

To read the press release and find a link to the full report please click here.