GettyImages © Cecilie Arcurs
The Women in Digital Forum officially launched at an event hosted under the Connecting Women in Digital initiative. Organised in Brussels, the event brought together influential industry leaders, EU policymakers and core ecosystem stakeholders to advance a shared agenda for effective gender equality in the digital domain.
The launch marks a major step toward building an EU-level collaborative platform to drive targeted, structural action aimed at increasing women’s participation in digital careers across Member States and ensuring that women have equal opportunities to thrive in Europe's digital future.
Despite growing awareness, women remain markedly underrepresented in Europe’s digital sector. Only 19% of ICT specialists and 33% of STEM graduates are women. According to the 2024 Women in Digital Scoreboard (Index), this persistent gender gap in digital skills, career pathways, and leadership not only hinders individual potential, but also undermines Europe’s innovation capacity, resilience, and global competitiveness.
Launch Highlights
- Official inauguration of the Women in Digital Forum
- Appointment of the Women in Digital Governing Board: A strategic advisory board with members who represent major European ICT companies (SAP, Amadeus), youth engagement and skills development (JA Europe) and reskilling and upskilling communities (GEN)
- Kick-off of the first Thematic Working Groups which seek to invite experts to address key structural challenges in the design and delivery of ICT higher education and the attractiveness of digital roles for women
The Forum
The Forum will serve as an expert platform to address persistent barriers to gender equality in the digital domain – from skills development and career progression to leadership access. It will provide concrete recommendations and actionable best practices for policymakers, industry leaders, educators, and civil society.
As part of its Digital Decade, the EU aims to double the number of ICT specialists—from 10 million to 20 million by 2030. At the same time, it aims to raise women’s representation from the current 19% to an aspirational 40%.
The Connecting Women in Digital Forum was created to accelerate progress toward this goal by mobilising support, enabling cross-sector collaboration, and expanding gender-inclusive initiative.
The Forum will directly support the European Commission and Member States in achieving the targets set out in the Digital Decade Policy Programme, specifically by:
- Enhancing women’s participation in digital education and careers
- Promoting inclusive digital innovation ecosystems
- Strengthening the EU’s talent pipeline through gender-balanced policies
Find out more about Women in Digital.