Girls in ICT Day Raises Awareness of Careers in STEM

On Wednesday 23 April 2025, Luxembourg’s Ministry for Gender Equality and Diversity, the Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy and the social enterprise WIDE ANDCO held the “Girls in ICT Day” conference at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers in Luxembourg City. 

As reported by the ministry, the event, which marked the Girls in ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Day, brought together around 80 female secondary school students, several male students, their teachers and a range of institutional and community stakeholders. It created a key opportunity to raise awareness about the possibilities offered by studies and careers in digital fields and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

During the event, speakers presented the findings of a study conducted by the ministry, in collaboration with social enterprise WIDE ANDCO. According to the ministry, the study, entitled “Identifying the Causes of the Low Representation of Girls and Women in ICT Sectors and Careers”, revealed how entrenched gender stereotypes still shape girls’ choices as early as secondary school. It also highlighted the strong influence of parents and schools in shaping those decisions. The study also detailed how, in the workplace, women in IT careers continue to face persistent challenges, including everyday sexism, a lack of female role models and the issue of non-inclusive work environments.

At the event, Luxembourg’s Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, Yuriko Backes, underlined the importance of the creativity, ingenuity and determination of young girls and women who contribute every day to digital innovation and transformation. However, the minister also stressed: “We must acknowledge that significant barriers still hold many of them back from realising their full potential. In a world shaped increasingly by technology, it is vital that girls enjoy the same access to opportunities and resources as boys.”

Luxembourg’s Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Media and Connectivity, Elisabeth Margue, reminded attendees that achieving gender balance in technology careers plays a key role in reaching the goals of the initiative “Digital Decade: 20 million ICT specialists by 2030”. She highlighted that, while digital careers offer real opportunities, promoting equal access to digital skills - especially for girls - remains essential and is particularly important given that women make up fewer than 20% of ICT specialists in Europe. Minister Margue said: “This reality demands awareness and a collective determination to bring change.” She added: “We must embed gender mainstreaming across all public policies related to digital transformation. Technological innovation depends on diversity, the complementarity of different journeys and the richness of varied perspectives. We need to actively encourage more girls and women to participate in fast-growing fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data analysis.”

The event also featured a roundtable discussion which brought together several women working in the digital sector. They shared the details of their career paths, memorable experiences and talked of the challenges they had overcome using technology. The ministry commented that the women’s stories “demonstrated the diversity of roles and backgrounds in the digital world and emphasised how ICT plays a crucial role in problem-solving, value creation and everyday innovation.”

Organisers also introduced the upcoming government initiative, “Girls Deploy Your Digital Talent”, which is due to launch at the start of the 2025 academic year. The programme will give female students the chance to take part in practical digital projects in partnership with businesses or public bodies. It aims to strengthen their technical skills, build confidence and showcase the range of career paths available in the digital sector. 

The ministry noted that “through this initiative, the institutional partners are reaffirming their shared commitment to building a digital ecosystem that is more inclusive, gender-balanced and fully aligned with European ambitions.”

SM