The Greek ACM-W Professional Chapter has been established in 2018 with the vision of fostering gender mainstreaming, as well as enhancing and advocating gender balance in computer-related scientific fields and professional sectors in Greece.
Why a women's professional chapter in computer science
Although women are, nowadays, in the mainstream of science and they have, undoubtedly, made vital contributions to all scientific fields, they are still strongly under-represented in computer-related scientific fields in most European countries, with Greece not being an exception.
Based on 2014 Eurostat data [2], more women (42.3 %) than men (33.6 %) go on to higher education. Nevertheless, female students are strongly under-represented in computer-related studies in most European countries, including Greece. Specifically, 80% or more of the students enrolled in computer-related study programs are male, whereas women usually prefer studies in other fields [1]. Unfortunately, no significant improvement on these statistics has been observed over the past several years.
Furthermore, women’s participation in the digital labour market decreases with age. This is acknowledged as the leaky pipeline phenomenon [4]. Greece (and Europe) under-utilize women scientists in research and innovation, as well as in leadership positions. The progress of brilliant women is often hindered by invisible obstacles. Action is necessary to discover, understand, and defeat those glass ceilings with the goal of addressing any form of gender imbalance in scientific leadership and decision-making processes, and ensuring a fair development of outstanding career paths with no barriers and misconceptions for both men and women in the digital sector.
Our Mission
- Τo equally help women and men be inspired by the world of possibilities that computing opens, follow computing-related professions, and be their best and most creative in computing.
- To connect computing professionals to their peers, to the latest developments, and inspire them to advance the profession and make a positive impact on society.
Our Vision
We see a world where both women and men are equally represented in following career paths in computer-related fields, and are treated fairly when trying to excel in their careers.
Our Goals
- Promote gender-equal access to the computer-related scientific frontiers
The Greek ACM-W Chapter will organize actions to increase awareness on how to improve the recruitment and retention gender ratios in computer-related study programs and support male and female students beyond graduation. It will also support the initiation of such actions in all university departments providing computer-related study programs in Greece.
- Encourage/educate women and men in an equal way to achieve their goals and utilize their potential in digital professions
The Chapter will contribute to the discovery, understanding, and addressing of certain glass ceilings that result in gender imbalance in scientific leadership and decision-making processes, hoping to enable a fair development of outstanding career paths for both men and women in the digital sector.
- Celebrate and disseminate the achievements of computer professionals, women and men, in a fair and gender-equal way
The chapter will take actions to achieve a gender equal approach in promoting visibility of professionals and raising awareness about important achievements in all computing sectors.
“The question is not why there haven’t been more women in science; the question is rather why we have not heard more about them.”
Naomi Oreskes, Historian of science [6]
Bibliography
- European Commission, Women active in the ICT sector, Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union, 2013, http://www.igualdadenlaempresa.es/enlaces/webgrafia/docs/women_active.pdf (also available at http://bcwt.bg/wp-content/uploads/documents/womenActiveInICT.pdf), [PDF].
- European Commission, “2014 Eurostat Data”, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5785629/KS-HA-14-001-EN.PDF, [PDF]
- European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), https://eige.europa.eu/
- European Parliament, “Women in ICT”, Directorate General for Internal Policies – Policy Department C: Citizens Rights and Constitutional Affairs, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/document/activities/cont/201208/20120831ATT50302/20120831ATT50302EN.pdf, [PDF].
- Informatics Europe, “INFORMATICS EDUCATION IN EUROPE: Institutions, degrees, students, positions, salaries”, Key Data 2011 – 2016, http://www.informatics-europe.org/images/documents/informatics-education-europe-data-2008-2012.pdf, [PDF].
- San Diego Super Computer Center, “Women in Science”, https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/intro.html