It is no longer a secret that there is a lack of women in STEM professions. A priori: an absurdity. A number of initiatives strive for change, want to get women excited about mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology and call on them to network. Here is a small selection.
Come on, do STEM.
Come on, do STEM. is the national pact for women in MINT professions (MINT stands for math, computer science, natural sciences and technology) and, as a network initiative, aims to inspire girls and women to take MINT courses and careers. Currently, over 200 partners from politics, business, science and media are networked here. What do students get out of it? The initiative provides information about career networks, scholarships and mentoring programs, organizes competitions and recruiting events and is a platform for MINT jobs during and after your studies.
Creating a MINT future
One of the main target groups of the nationwide MINT Creating a Future network are first-year students and students. Core event: the presentation of the Women’s MINT Award. MINT students and graduates who are dealing with a future-oriented MINT topic in their final or exam paper can apply for this.
Career fairs for women
The women&work in Bonn and the herCareer in Munich are career fairs that are aimed directly at women at every stage of the career ladder. In addition to direct contact with companies and interesting lectures and discussions, there is also plenty of space for networking. There are exciting workshops, evening events and many opportunities to listen to successful MINT women talk about their career paths.
Ada Lovelace Festival
Ada Byron Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) was an IT pioneer: in the mid-19th century, the British mathematician wrote a complex program, making her the first person in the world to program.
The two-day festival named after her takes place in Berlin and is aimed at professionals, young professionals and students from the IT and technology industry. In particular, the latest industry trends, research results and success stories of women in IT are discussed. Students and university graduates in particular can make contact with the most important IT companies, find mentors and build a valuable network.
Geekettes
In 2012, Jessica Erickson, an American living in Berlin, finally had enough of the male dominance in the tech industry and founded the Geekettes , an IT women's network. Here, female “computer geeks” find help in founding start-ups, technical workshops are held and hackathons are organized. In the mentorship program, experienced women from the industry take newcomers under their wing. There are now hubs in nine cities worldwide, including Berlin, London, Maastricht and New York. And companies like Sony or Deutsche Telekom are also becoming more and more aware and are looking for future employees among the Geekettes.
Women Who Code
Women Who Code (WWCode) is a non-profit organization based in Silicon Valley. The goal: to advance female careers in tech professions and get women interested in programming. Because the need for software specialists is enormous worldwide. There are networks that regularly invite people to events on six continents – from Accra in Ghana to Munich to Wichita in the USA.
We present initiatives that promote and bring together technology-savvy women:
