Promoting female digital talent and technological vocations among girls in the Maresme

Reducing the gender gap in the field of technologies in the Maresme region by promoting technological vocations in girls and young people, as well as making female digital talent visible, promoting equal opportunities and promoting the participation of women in a key sector for sustainable development, is the main objective of this project. The actions that make it up are divided into two blocks: a first that focuses on the promotion of female entrepreneurship in the digital field and the growth of the female business ecosystem in the territory, which focuses on strengthening the female ecosystem of the territory linked to technology, and a second block that promotes the promotion of technological vocations in girls between 12 and 18 years old to contribute to ending the gender gap that exists in professions in this field.

Update date: 07/11/2025

Type of the project

Support for business and entrepreneurship

modality

Individual

Field of action

Regional

Website of the project

Status of the project

Closed

Initial date

01/01/2024

End date

30/10/2025

Description of the project

According to the latest studies, the presence of women in the technology sector in Catalonia and Spain remains limited, suggesting a female underrepresentation in the ICT sector. In Catalonia, only 8,6% of technology professionals are women, according to the first DonaTIC barometer by the Cercle Tecnològic. This report also highlights that women occupy 25,4% of technical roles in Catalan technology companies, mainly in project management and software development. This inequality is even more marked in technical and leadership roles. Regarding startups, in Spain, only 10% are founded exclusively by women, although this figure has increased slightly compared to 6% in 2022. Female entrepreneurs tend to focus on sectors such as health, education, social impact and industry.

On the other hand, there is a lack of visibility of female role models. The absence of role models hinders the interest of girls and young people in studying STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and this is subsequently transferred to the professional and business world, producing a gap in job opportunities. Although many women have the talent and skills to access the digital sector, they often encounter structural, cultural barriers and a lack of professional support networks.

The need to increase women's participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is at the centre of public debate. Increasingly, professions require a range of technical knowledge, so the low participation of women in STEM can leave them in a situation of inequality with respect to men. In Spain, only 16% of professionals in the STEM area are women, and very few adolescents, 0,7%, are interested in studying a degree related to digital technologies, compared to 7% of men. The low percentage of women interested in studying a degree related to this area is also significant. The gender gap related to scientific and technological studies, therefore, continues to represent a problem in university education. Although several administrations, both national and international, promote the increase in these vocations, we observe a loss of STEM talent that should be remedied. For this reason, it is essential to link women to STEM from the first years of school (Social Observatory of the "la Caixa" Foundation).

Faced with this situation, the first block of this project offers a response to address it with specific actions aimed at making female digital talent visible: Organize conferences, meetings and activities to highlight the impact of women in the ICT sector and inspire others to follow suit; Promote connection and empowerment, offering networking and collaboration spaces to establish links between professional women, students and companies in Maresme, facilitating business opportunities and professional development; and Transform the local ecosystem, promoting a cultural and structural change in companies and institutions in the territory to advance towards effective equality, promoting diversity as a strategic value. This proposal not only seeks to have an impact in the short term, but also consolidate a foundation for the future of an inclusive and innovative ICT sector in Maresme.

On the other hand, the TecnoGirl actions, which make up the second block of the project, have been designed to break with gender stereotypes, create a sense of social belonging and to give visibility to the purpose and give meaning to the choice of STEM careers through visibility actions: creation of an exhibition of Women and Technology leading figures in the sector at an international and regional level. Informative talks on science and technology by leading figures from the territory; training action: teaching technological and scientific workshops to develop the girls' technical skills and give them the possibility of exploring all aspects of STEM; and co-creation actions: collaborative resolution of a technological challenge, to put into practice everything learned during the course.

Team

Project managers

Antonia González Fernández

Head of Entrepreneurship and Business Growth

Esther García Carvajal

Associate Professor of the Department of Technology and Coordinator of the Xnergic Project

Project team

Financing

Funding sources

Call for grants to reduce the gender gap in the field of ICT within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union through the Next Generation EU program, announced through Resolution EMT/4692/2024, of December 19 (ref. BDNS 805662). File No.: SDC005/24/000237