3 ways to be an activist on International Women's Day

As a pan-European initiative, it has been really interesting gathering the insights and perspectives of professional women across the European culture and technology sectors. Some have felt a little discomfort speaking about advocacy for women because of the strong rights and opportunities for women in their country - while others have expressed frustration at the ongoing gender inequality they experience.

While these perspectives are diverse - statistically speaking - gender parity in the EU is still a work in progress. 

In fact, according to the various reports, certain areas are actually moving backwards. 

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society - a long-time advocate for gender parity in tech and leadership position - reports that that the gender gap in the digital sector is growing. According to the 2018 study on Women in the Digital Age, men in digital jobs outnumber women one to four, with a 'decrease in women taking up ICT related to higher education when compared to 2011'.

Commissioner Gabriel will explore these issues in her feature profile for the Women in culture and tech series Monday 11 March. 

Further, the 2018 Report on equality between women and men in the EU reports the prominent decrease of European women in leadership positions.

Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vĕra Jourová says, “In some countries, the political and economic participation of women is moving backwards. An abundance of data and statistics show that women, who make up half of our population, are under-represented in decision-making positions in politics and in business and still earn on average 16% less than men across the European Union.”

So, with this in mind, we have compiled a list of ways you can get involved and advocate for gender parity in your country, in your sector, and in Europe today.

1. Join in our ‘go-viral’ crowd-speak campaign Twitter

Let’s get people talking about women in culture and technology! Simply click the link to spread the message that we support women - we highlight their contributions and we share their stories. By clicking the link you will be directed to share our message of support (you can personalise this if you like) - including the #IWD2019 and tagging @Europeanaeu so we can see your message and retweet it to our followers.  

Let’s send women in culture and tech viral today!

Click and join the movement.

2. Sign the Declaration on Gender-Balanced Company Culture (or send it to your leaders)

If you are women in tech, the gender disparity is evident. As such, Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society has committed to closing the gender gap - and has called major tech companies to action.

✅ @GSMAEurope signed the #Declaration for EU’s corporate tech leaders to achieve gender balance in their companies and equal opportunities for the human capital! We must join forces, public & industry, for better & concrete action for an inclusive #DigitalEU pic.twitter.com/dmYWroi5xf

— Mariya Gabriel (@GabrielMariya) January 29, 2019

By signing the declaration, tech companies commit to adopting five key actions. This includes: instilling an inclusive, open, female-friendly company culture, recruiting and investing in diversity,  giving women in tech their voice and visibility, creating the leaders of future and becoming an advocate of change.

Signatories include major tech companies including Salesforce, Dell, Google, Booking.com and Digital Europe. The full list can be found here.

Join the movement for gender balance in tech. Send it to your colleagues and flag it to your leaders. You can download the declaration here.

3. Join an International Women’s Day event

The official organisers of International Women’s Day have a comprehensive list of events taking place today around the world. So whether you’re in Stockholm, Athens, Madrid or Warsaw - there is an event that you can join, an exhibit you can visit, or a conference you can attend.

Want more?

• Takeover our Twitter at @Europeanaeu (throughout March). Direct message us with your interest. 
• Join a sector-wide Twitter chat on the challenges and future aims for women in the sectors. Follow the #womeninculturechat and join at 15.00 CET 29 March

Want even more? Visit our exhibition Pioneers which highlights the lives and achievements of historical European women. Visit the full list of profiles for the Women in culture and tech series - we publish three profiles per week throughout March.