Women as a key competitiveness factor in innovation clusters and ecosystems

Submitted by Imogen Allan on 28 May 2021

In the meeting on 25 March, the European Clusters Alliance invited female speakers to talk about gender as a competitiveness factor in clusters and ecosystems – a topic that will picked up again in upcoming webinars.

Elise Durey from France Clusters shared her experiences to foster the feminisation of industrial sectors in French clusters.

According to their studies, gender equity is not yet reached and there are substantial differences in job occupation, wages, and lack of representation in education. Clusters help to improve the presence of young women in scientific and technical training, promote the image of the industries, attract skilled profiles, and develop female entrepreneurship.

Joëlle Durieux from Lead Tech Club101 informed the group about progress in the financial sector. Even though small changes are visible, the disparities between female and male job possibilities and leadership positions are still high. Professional social networks, the adaptation of the working culture and recruitment process, and strengthening necessary qualities can help to overcome the differences.

Henriette Dybkaer from MARLOG shared their activities to get more “women at sea”. Starting from a panel debate and a social media group on the topic, MARLOG developed a communicative process to foster the role of women in the maritime sector. Among other activities, they developed a charter for ship owners, which was introduced by their national government, an action plan, webinars, and a campaign in schools.   ​

Raquel Ortega Martínez from AMUEBLA presented the “Women Making Waves” programme that seeks to enhance female leadership skills and to empower double disadvantaged women to increase their confidence, self-awareness, and knowledge of employability and business opportunities. The training programme includes work on personal development, gender equality, strategic tools for their learning journey, leadership skills, mentoring, and creating networks.

The morning session are open to everyone.

Sign up to receive invitations here.

Watch the full recording below:

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