Klaus Iohannis: Women’s absence from the European digital sector has a major economic cost

President Iohannis spoke on Monday at the Digital Romania International Forum – Women leadership in 4.0 Industries and said that the lack of involvement by women in the digital sector at the European level has a significant economic cost, as the dropout rate from positions in the digital sector is higher among women. Another worrying fact, he argues, is that although startups launched by women tend to be more capable of having a positive evolution, there is still a negative trend when it comes to their involvement.

Iohannis also said that digitalization, technological innovation and ensuring sustainable development are the main pillars of the future economy, and that the event organized today in Bucharest as part of the Three Seas Initiative Summit demonstrates that Romania is strongly heading towards substantially growing its digital sector.

“The Digital Romania International Forum is a project I’ve supported since its launch in 2016, and the theme of the third edition – Women leadership in Industry 4.0 – is not just well-timed, but also extremely important. First of all, we’re talking about the major impact of digitalization on society and the economy, as Romania’s future development is undoubtedly linked to seizing the opportunities on the digital market, and secondly, we aim to follow the principle of gender equality in the field. The lack of involvement by women in the digital sector at the European level has a significant economic cost, as the dropout rate from positions in the digital sector is higher among women. Another worrying fact, he argues, is that although startups launched by women tend to be more capable of having a positive evolution, there is still a negative trend when it comes to their involvement,” the president said.

He added that progress has been made in the Romanian digital sector, but that there is still a need for an integrated, well-structured and long-term vision in order for it to reach its full potential. Furthermore, he argued, the Romanian educational system needs to be connected to the very dynamic developments in the field in order to create the premises of a competitive economy.

As for representation of women in the digital sector, our country is in second place at the European level, which proves that ensuring gender equality is a goal we have achieved, Iohannis added.

The president also said that innovation and digitalization are among Romania’s priorities for its presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will start on January 1, 2019.

“The future of the European project cannot be conceived outside the Single Digital Market, and gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the EU. Romania will have the opportunity to contribute to achieving the objective of the Single Digital Market and use the experience it gains to ensure gender equality. Last but not least, I would like to underline the fact that the development of the digital sector is directly dependent on the quality of the human capital. Letting go on stereotypes and ensuring equal chances for both men and women are at the basis of a healthy society. Women’s leadership has brought multiple benefits for modern society, which is why we must continue to support it,” Iohannis concluded.

During the same event, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu also stated that Romania is one of the EU countries with a high share of women involved in the digital sector, but highlighted the gender disparity in the field across Europe.

“Society is facing a big paradox. We have several studies showing that in recent years companies have had a much better performance when they had women in leadership positions, but still, gender disparity is still a reality in many economic sectors. This is particularly the case in the information and communications technology sector, where women are still underrepresented. In 2015, women had only a 17 percent share of the 1.4 million Europeans who had chosen to work in this field,” Cretu said.

According to the commissioner, a detailed look reveals that less than 20 percent of leadership positions are occupied by women in the sector, compared to 45 percent in other sectors.

“I know very well that Romania is one of the EU countries with a high share of women in the digital sector and I think that is something to be proud of, and something that confirms that Romania can be an example. This is another reason to appreciate that this forum was organized here, in Bucharest. Of course, it’s not enough. We need to not only focus on the numbers and I really think it’s not very useful to make comparisons between countries,” she said.

Cretu also added that Romania has a small difference between salaries paid to women and men, of 5 percent, compared to the 16 percent average difference at the EU level.

DMCA

PROTECTED