Gathered insights and proposed solutions to empower women, promote gender sensitivity and bridge the gender gap in ICT, Engineering and Mathematics

Luxembourg and Europe have thriving scientific sectors, offer world class facilities and require
scientists, engineers and researchers to fulfill ambitious projects, visions and goals. The ICT
sector, for example, has a fundamental impact in every sector of the European economy;
generating millions of jobs and hundreds of billions of Euros. Women, however, have a limited
share of opportunities offered by scientific sectors making up, for example, 13.7% of the ICT
work force in Luxembourg and an average of 16.7% in Europe. They remain a minority in most
STEM fields in both education and industry. Less women are entering STEM fields and more
women are leaving STEM than men do. This is mostly evident in ICT. European demand for
engineers, scientists and STEM researchers exceeds the existing talent pool. This dilemma, in
addition to other challenges such as a lack of diversity can be addressed by attracting more
women to enter STEM fields for education, for research or as a profession.
Getting more women in STEM and retaining them are equally important. There are efforts to
encourage girls and young women to enter STEM fields, however, fewer efforts have been
made to protect women and retain them once they enter. This white paper highlights the
importance of comprehensive policies and solutions that provide equal opportunities and a
fostering environment for women at different stages of their education and career paths.