FEMIN-ICT is a collaboration between 7 organizations from Greece, Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Stockholm, Spain and Sweden, which aimed to address the underrepresentation and difficulty of advancement of women in the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) sector, encouraging more women to enter the industry, giving them the tools they need to succeed, and promoting their equal participation, representation and treatment within the ecosystem.
In these 2 years of collaboration, the project:
- Conducted extensive research on the barriers and challenges women face in the field, informing policies and initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality in the industry.
- Created tools & training material and collected good practices to support and help women develop in the ICT sector, which have been widely disseminated and used by stakeholders in a variety of projects and initiatives.
- Implemented trainings and workshops to empower every stakeholder (HR executives, policy makers & industry professionals) to promote gender equality and inclusion in the ICT sector.
- Organized awareness campaigns, information events and webinars in each partner’s country to highlight the importance of gender equality in the ICT sector, reaching a wide audience and encouraging the dialogue.
Through the FEMIN-ICT project, we developed strategies and created tools to strengthen the access and employability of women in the ICT sector, we provided direct support and motivation to women interested in the field of Technology through mentoring programs, skills development and networking opportunities, and we partnered with organizations, providing tools to help them create environments that promote diversity and gender equality.
The FEMIN-ICT tools:
- Current State Analysis (PR1): We created questionnaires to collect experiences and find out more about the obstacles and difficulties that women are facing in the ICT sector, along with opinions and ideas from companies/employers in the field and the ecosystem as a whole, on how they can bridge the gap and welcome more women into the industry.
- Training Program (PR2): We developed methodology as an Open Educational Resource platform with a gender equality training program for employers, business support organizations, and local governments, which also includes a toolkit for creating care-friendly workplaces.
- Empowerment Program (PR3): We created a program and collected experiences of women active in the field, creating an archive of interviews of female role models in Technology, with short videos and presentations that encourage and inspire, offering encouragement and motivation to more women to pursue a career in IT & New Technologies.
- Strategic Policy Map (PR4): We formulated a thorough examination of gender equality policies at both European and national level, with a particular focus on the field of Information Technology and New Technologies. The tool is the result of extensive research, interviews and focus groups and has led to actionable proposals addressing the pressing issue of gender inequality in the field, aiming to influence corporate and government practices for the equal participation and promotion of women in the ICT sector.
The team of Women On Top is very proud to have been a part of this program! Through our collaboration, we have utilized the strengths and experience of each partner to address the multiple challenges that hinder gender equality in the ICT sector. We remain committed to supporting and empowering women, and partnering with policymakers to drive a positive and lasting change in the industry.
Learn more about FEMIN-ICT on the project site, and follow FEMIN-ICT on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn to stay informed about its progress.
FEMIN-ICT is funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the EU and it is implemented by the organizations Impact Hub Stockholm, Stimmuli for social change, The Square Dot Team, Women On Top, Associazione Co-cò Italy, Instituto Ikigai, CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD