STEM WOMEN CONGRESS LISBON 2023, the congress for the empowerment of women in the technological world, took place this morning, October 17, at ISEG-Higher Institute of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon, Caixa Geral de Depósitos Auditorium.

This initiative, held for the first time in Portugal, aimed to contribute to the reduction of gender inequality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas, where the presence of women remains low and far below desirable. In addition, SWC aims to create a joint action plan between all institutions and organisations supporting the STEM and women’s fields.

The SWC Lisboa 2023 edition was made up of a panel of more than 15 personalities, whose example and experience will inspire society to achieve a world of equal opportunities between men and women in the STEM sector. Joana Pais, Vice-President of ISEG, Isabel Moura Ramos, Executive Board Member of the Port of Lisbon, Karolina Korth, Director of Regions of the Mobility Software Business Unit of Siemens, Inês Rodrigues, Country Business Developer Schneider Electric and Celiana Carreño, VP Technology & Head of Product Europe Globant and STEM Ambassador in Madrid were some of the speakers who will give their testimony at the initiative.

Crucial topics

In addition to the panel of speakers  and Talks that will address crucial topics, namely “How to solve the underrepresentation of women in STEM sectors”, during the event the SWC 2022 Annual Report was also presented, which highlights the implementation of STEM initiatives and programs in each country and allows to assess the evolution of each country in relation to this theme – the fight against gender inequality in STEM sectors.

In the SWC edition held in Spain in 2022, the most recent report had already revealed that only 1% of the Spanish female population is being impacted for the STEM area. This study is carried out by compiling data from all detected initiatives that quantify their actions, which allows us to have an X-ray of existing initiatives and classify them by segment (inspiration, career and entrepreneurship), and by data (age, territories, types of activity, etc.), revealing the gaps where action is needed.

The President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, Sandra Ribeiro, who closed the meeting, stressed that “our present is already our future“, and therefore, it is increasingly important to send the message to young women and women that they can be whatever they want to be. “It is urgent to give them the confidence they need to believe in themselves. It’s important to allow them to be. Even more urgent in the digital age we live in.”

Annual Report

For her part, Eva Díaz, CEO STEM Women Congress, says that “It is important to bring this initiative to Portugal in order to analyze what is being done in Portugal and what still needs to be done in order to combat gender inequality in STEM sectors. According to the indicators in this year’s Annual Report, we are moving in the right direction, but at a very slow pace. Growth is steady, but at this rate, we will not be able to ensure that boys and girls are truly STEM ready in the future, nor that we can achieve parity in the sector, as the previous annual report concluded.”

“The study published by the European Patent Office (EPO) also serves as a precedent for the STEM Women Congress. The first-of-its-kind study to be published by the EPO is based on the percentage of women inventors named in all patent applications filed with the EPO from 1978 to 2019. It shows that 13.2% of inventors in Europe are women and points out that while the rate of women inventors in Europe has been increasing in recent decades (from just 2% in the late 1970s to 13.2% in 2019), there is still a significant gap between men and women.”

ISEG, Unimagem, 250grados, Brisa, Porto de Lisboa, APSS, Ricoh and Schneider are some of the companies that sponsored the first edition of Stem Women Congress 2023 Lisbon.

In Spain, the SWC has a history of five editions, being nominated by the Government of Catalonia for the most important recognition award for women in STEM: Premi DONA TIC.