Winnet Sverige • www.winnet.se • info@winnetsverige.se • Södra Skeppsbron 6, 802 80 Gävle

A Swedish Proposal on How to secure

the Gender Perspective into the European

Digital Strategy

Presented 7–8 March 2011, in Budapest, Hungary

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Proposal to the European Digital Agenda, Sweden

IntroductionReflections and proposed actions for the work on the issue of “Women and Technology“ and “Women in the Information Society.

The reflections are based on inputs from previous projects and initiatives, lead by Women Resource Centre’s.

The overall aimThe overall all aim of the Swedish digital agenda is to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market based on fast and ultra fast internet and interoperable applications

1. What effects is important on EU 2020 stategy, as a result of the Digital strategy

2. What questions and fields are important from a Swedish point of view?

3. What can WRCs and Winnet Sweden do to contribute to the European Digital Agenda and Strategy?

Background In Sweden Winnet Sweden, The Swedish Agency

for Economic and Regional Growth, Sida and the

Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, co-operate in a national project: Gender equal ICT as a tool for regional development and growth. The expected results are (1) a strategy how to implement a gender perspective into the Swedish Digital Strategy (2) a national platform for co-operation on Gender, New Technology and ICT and (3) a Flagship initiative within the Baltic Sea Strategy.

The latter with focus on Gender, ICT and Entrepreneurship and to be presented in May, 2011.

Key problems1. Fragmented digital markets

2. Lack of interoperarability

3. Rising cybercrime and risk of low trust in networks

4. Missed opportunities in addressing social challenges

5. Lack of investments in networks

6. Insufficient research and innovation efforts

7. Lack of digital literacy and skills

WRCs Women Resource Centers

One of the objectives of Winnet Sweden, member of Winnet Europe- a European organisation – is to stimulate networking between WRCs, this centre’s support the implementation of equal opportunity policies and practices to support women’s participation on the labour market, in business, in ICT and in technology. The working model used and recommended for a WRC is networking at different levels in the society: local, regional, national and transnational (European + beyond EU)

In the ongoing Interreg IVC Capitalisation project Winnet 8, the goals are:

• To have an impact on policy and actions in the future European Cohesion strategy + EU 2020 strategy and action plans how to implement the gender perspective in the ROP, Regional Operational Program, in 9 regions and 8 partners country with support of WRCs.

• To use the Winnet Europe association`s network of WRCs to secure the gender perspective and actions in future policy and actions in EU 27 member states and as partner for the EU institutions within regional development and growth.

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To meet the need of ACTIONS

There is a need to look at and analyse the following areas:

Discussion is needed about the issue and first of all find a common definition; decision not only to focus on ICT technologies but to consider the broader field of science, technologies and ICT itself

Women and Technologies: a matter of gendered segregation

The result from Interreg IIIC W.IN.NET (2003-2006) and still relevant in a European context:

• The low percentage of girls and women choosing Science and Technology studies

• The low presence of women in the ICT and other technical jobs

• The difficulties in career’s advancement for women working in the technical field

The main impacting factors are still:

Cultural factors and strong gendered stereotypes about a “natural” lack of ability and interest in women toward technologies, which affect

• Girls and women`s choices for schools and training

Institutions• Organisations and enterprises in their recruitment

methods.

Consequences for women; – Exclusion from sectors which are crucial for

economic development and usually related to well paid jobs

– Difficulties in taking full advantage of all the new communication media connected to ICT and the Internet, to be autononomous in using them

– Power unbalance

Some of the analysed best practices (1)

Sweden: – Teknikan, local community schools Creative and

innovative multimedia tools and methods targeted at trainers and teacher to help women overcoming their sense of inadequacy while learning technical matters

– New pedagogical approach based on “having fun” while learning

– www.teknikan.se and www.doris.nu a WRC focusing on gender, technology and pedagogical tools for recruitment and guidance.

Some of the analyses (2)

Greece:

Eclectic Carnival, high tech international itinerant workshops for women: to exchange computer skills among women, – To exchange computer skills among women

– To encourage women to crash computers and to put it all back together again.

– Preferably with an improved installation

– to learn how to use “open source” software’s and technologies http://www.eclectictechcarnival.org/

Italy: Several projects were developed especially within

the C.I. Equal

– Equal Portico: an on line multimedia resource centre with courses in digital video making, web radio and tv managing + couselling for women in the IT sector (www.porticodonne.it)

– Equal A.Canto: support, counselling, training for women working in building yards. (http://www.raedes.org/acanto)

Spain: – “Tecnica” Equal Project

– Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship in the technical sectors

– Expecially targeted at women with “weak” degrees, graduated immigrant women, non graduated women with technical skills.

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Last reflections and proposal of future impact on the European Digital strategy

Through all work since 1996 and ongoing work we have realized that it is crucial to

• strengthen interregional and international cooperation;

• learn from each other;

• joining the existing networks on the issue of women and technology and science

• establish partnership national and or regional platforms as a hub for policy recommendations and actions

• network for regional innovation within this thematic field of concern.

It’s important to address European Institutions and to improve gender mainstreaming and positive action strategies and tools

Virtual office for the European Association of WRC s, www.winneteurope.org

WINNET Europe– the European Association of Women Resource Centre’s was established June 2006. The virtual tool to give WRC in the EU 27 member’s states and candidate state access to a virtual networking tool to increase the knowledge of and increase women´s participation on the labour market, in ICT and Innovation and entrepreneurship. The communication tool within Winnet Europe Association provides Women’s Resource Centre’s (WRC) in the EU 27 Member States with a common knowledge band basis for sharing information and knowledge within the subject of Women in digital

strategy and the Information Society.

The virtual secretariat of the Winnet Europe Association of WRC, in EU 27 member State is a tool for communication and information of knowledge between the members in the association and other actors within the field that cover all areas.

A Women Resource centre`s can be a important forum for meeting for exchange of knowledge and experiences and other important services that will be

of importance to mobilise women into ICT and new technology which will be crucial for the European digital strategy for European, national, regional development and growth within a global perspective.

Conclusions for the future work within women and new technology: – Establish knowledge and action for gender equal

recruitment actions and models in co-operation with other public and local authorities, private actors, civil society and academia to mobilise women into ICT and New technology = A quadruplehelix perspective

– Networking in between actors for success – increase women’s participation and use of New technology and ICT, a skill which will be needed in all occupation in the future

– Development of success teams and mentoring within ICT and new technology, to create paths for a gender equal counseling and guidance and career development

– Implementation of the gender perspective in pedagogic and didactic at all levels in the education system and teacher programmes

– A gender equal work organisation needs to be created together with actors within ICT and new technology, use women’s knowledge to develop new programmes

– Increase knowledge and skill and cooperation’s in partnership with a quadruple helix perspective , expand the network and create a national hub- platform in all 27 Member countries as well as on a European level = policy and action oriented with result indicators for measuring result of actions

– Career counseling and guidance Online within the European Community – with support of the winneteurope.org website

– Women’s participation in all sectors of the labour market increase

– Specific ICT and new technology training program for girls and women and focus on Innovation and entrepreneurship development

– DG research, DG Employment, Gender equality and DG Regio is important for the future work to mobilise the change to a gender equal labour market and ICT and Innovation driven change

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An action plan for the European Digital strategy and agenda needs to focus on and to take in consideration: – To combat gender stereotypes and changes there

is a need of to start early, from primary school education, vocational training up to University level

– Fight gender discrimination at levels in the system and use the Gender equality Charta decided in September 2010 of the EU Commission and Parliament

– How to put theory in practice for improving women’s conditions in ICT and technology and science

– Use more innovative methods of self reflection, even in private companies

– Change the model of educating girls and boys

– Develop a practical model to control the private situation for a gender equal work organisation

– Allocation of project money for and development of training program for women in ICT and new technology, oriented for the labour market

– Establish platforms for co-operation within a quadruplehelix perspective and lobby strategies at all levels in the society for the issue

– Exchange of good practices and methods = a learning process for with follow up of results

– Career guidance and counselling with a integrates gender perspective at all level in the system

– Recruitment models with a gender perspective to be used of organisations and private companies to attract women to work within ICT and new technology

– Quadruple helix partnerships: eg, Civil society (WRCs, NGOs) Public and local Authorities, private sector and Academia= Centre of Excellence of research and development

FinallyGender perspective needs to be taken into consideration in all steps and actions a European Digital strategy agenda for EU 27 – which means also EU 2020 strategy and 5 th Cohesion policy 2014.

Women Resource Centers is important for the future work to increase women’s participation within the area of ICT and Innovation, entrepreneurship and labour market in EU 27 to secure the gender perspective in actions within EU 2020 strategy and Cohesion policy

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Annex Quality standards- indicators for WRCs; Women Resources Centers working with technology issues (1)

Objective: • to increase the number of Women using technology

Activities:

Information campaigns

• Preparation of seminars and training sessions; facilitate the access to the computer

Indicators: • XXX number of women who receive this

information; n° of information’s session;

• n° of participants from different actors;

• n° of women coming to the Internet space of the WRC…..

• to increase the number of employment of Women on technological sector

Activities: • Consultancies to the enterprise for hiring more

women;

• terms of references of a “gender agreement’ in the field of recruitment;

• seminars and meeting to start up mentoring programmes;

• to develop mentoring programme

• Co-operation in partnerships with the schools, vocational training centers, Universities, public sector on national, regional and or local levels

• Integrate the gender perspective in pedagogic at all level in the school system

• WRCs as a hub career development and career guidance and support; online

Women and Technologies: a matter of gendered segregation

The result from Interreg IIIC W.IN.NET (2003–2006) and still found in a European context of facts

and figures, as similar contexts made of:

– lower percentage of girls and women choosing Science and Technology studies

– Low presence of women in the ICT and other technical jobs

– difficulties in career’s advancement for women working in the technical field

The main impacting factors; – Cultural factors and strong gendered stereotypes

about a “natural” lack of ability and interest in women toward technologies have their impact on:

• Girls and women`s choices

• Schools and the training institutions

• Organizations and enterprises in their recruitment methods.

Consequences for women; – Exclusion from sectors which are crucial in the

economic development and are usually related to well paid jobs

– Difficulties in taking full advantage of all the new communication media connected to ICT and the Internet, to be autononomous in using them

– also at the political level, see all the e-democracy issue

– Power unbalance

Some of the analysed best practices (1)

Sweden: – Teknikan, a project of the National Labour Market

Board

– Creative and innovative multimedia tools and methods targeted at trainers and teacher to help women overcoming their sense of inadequacy while learning technical matters

– New pedagogical approach based on “having fun” while learning

– www.teknikan.se and www.doris.nu a WRC focusing on gender, technology and pedagogical tools for recruitment and guidance.

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Some of the analyses best practices (2)

Greece:

Eclectic Carnival, high tech international itinerant workshops for women: to exchange computer skills among women, – To exchange computer skills among women

– To encourage women to crash computers and to put it all back together again.

– Preferably with an improved installation

– to learn how to use “open source” software’s and technologies http://www.eclectictechcarnival.org/

Some of the analysed best practices (3)

Italy: Several projects were developed especially within

the C.I. Equal

– Equal Portico: an on line multimedia resource centre with courses in digital video making, web radio and tv managing + couselling for women in the IT sector (www.porticodonne.it)

– Equal A.Canto: support, counselling, training for women working in building yards. (http://www.raedes.org/acanto)

Some of the analysed best practices (4)

Spain: – “Tecnica” Equal Project

– Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship in the technical sectors

– Expecially targeted at women with “weak” degrees, graduated immigrant women, non graduated women with technical skills.

Quality indicators for WRC s; Women Resources Centers working with technology issues (3)

Objective: • To increase the number of Women choosing

technological and science studies

Activities: • Vocational/orientation activities in school (in all

the education levels); counselling activity at all level;

• elaboration of informative materials for the family; meetings about counseling and career guidance;

• organizing meeting on this topic; to develop models for research and action plans; to develop models of co-operation.

Objective:• to increase the % of women who make careers in

the field of new technology

Activities: • seminars for women and young girls;

• seminars for European, national, regional and local actors;

• seminars for counselors and career guidance officers;

• career guidance and recruiting models;

• seminars for counselors and career guidance officers;

• career guidance and recruiting models

Winnet Sverige • www.winnet.se • info@winnetsverige.se • Södra Skeppsbron 6, 802 80 Gävle