Women and Girls in STEM Forum

3 August 2021

On the 28th October 2021, Girls Go Circular, in collaboration with the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), will host an online event to gathering researchers, practitioners and influential stakeholders in STEM and gender equality to discuss on eliminating gender bias from STEM, entrepreneurial and digital disciplines and how to inspire the future EU action on these themes.

Girls Go Circular is a European project, promoted by EIT RawMaterials, that aims to equip 50.000 schoolgirls aged 14-18 across Europe with digital and entrepreneurial skills by 2027 through an online learning program about the circular economy.

According to the European Commission’s Women in Digital Scoreboard 2019, women represent only 34% of STEM graduates (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and 17% of ICT specialists. Current researches are depicting a scenario where the increase of diversity in leadership means generating revenues and foster problem-solving innovative processes and improve team performance. This is the reason why it is estimated that an increase in the number of women entering the digital skills market would generate an additional annual EUR 16 billion for the European economy.

The aim of the forum is to empathise the link between transversal – digital and entrepreneurial – skills, STEM disciplines, and the green and digital transitions in the European Union facilitating the inclusion of underestimated actors such as women and underrepresented groups that are equally able to introduce innovation and develop creative solutions for a valuable and sustainable future.

The Women and Girls in STEM Forum contribute to the discussion on achieving a carbon-neutral, circular economy and addressing the gender gap in education and training. The younger generation will be the one to embrace this challenge and push it forward. Through the Women and Girls in STEM Forum, we connect students, policymakers, and representatives from science and industry, giving them a chance to gain inspiration and learn from each other.