Or: how long can companies and universities afford to ignore the potential of women? Women are still heavily underrepresented in the scientific and technical courses and careers crucial for scientific and technological development. In Germany the percentage of women studying and doing research in these fields is particularly low.
In the technical core subjects of engineering like mechanical and electrical engineering female graduates account for 14,8 resp. 5,7 percent. Furthermore the percentages of female first year students in the core subjects currently even decline. In Germany women account for just 9,6% in the field of industrial research.
In view of demographic developments and the foreseeable shortage of specialists and managers, the "gender gap" in technology threatens to pose a serious danger for the scientific and business sectors in Europe and Germany. With their international conference, Femtec Inc. and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft want to offer a forum for business representatives, educational politicians and the media to exchange ideas on strategies for equal rights and parity of treatment policies in the international context. The conference presents innovative approaches, methods and examples drawn from current practice. Particular attention is given to cooperations and private-public-partnership models at the interface of schools, universities, companies and the media. Progress in this field requires the efforts of everybody.
Subjects and questions
In a series of talks, podium discussions and five specialized panels on practical aspects the conference will show
- how schools can promote on a sustainable basis the scientific and technical talents and potential of girls and young women at an early stage,
- how universities can design their engineering courses to appeal to women students and effectively embed equality of opportunity in research and teaching,
- how research institutions and universities can design careers more flexibly and imaginatively to encourage women to choose scientific careers,
- how companies, by realizing and utilizing the potential of women engineers, can better adapt to the needs of female clients,
- how media can combat the negative image of technology and create role models for young women.