1. Start early

Age-appropriate computer science activities should be offered at a young age to spark girls' curiosity.

2. Involve parents and teachers:

Parents need to be informed and trained to fulfil their role as door openers to the digital world. Gender-stereotypical attributions about performance in STEM subjects at school must be a thing of the past.

Tip: Try the E-MINT app, which was developed as part of a project in which the OCG was a partner and supports parents in STEM promotion.

3. Inviting learning environment/safety:

Safe spaces are needed where girls feel comfortable to ask questions openly and to develop with confidence.

(Of course, this also applies to adulthood; an example of a safe space for women only in which IT security is taught is the InforMiert project)

4. Gender-neutral learning materials:

Stereotypes - e.g. "girls are better at languages, boys are better at maths" - must be a thing of the past. Teaching materials and learning materials should contain a variety of examples and perspectives to show the diversity of applications and possibilities in computer science.

A good example of this is our KIDZ teaching materials for computational thinking, algorithms, IT security.

5. Promotion of self-confidence:

Girls need to be actively encouraged to be confident in their abilities; project-based learning, for example, allows girls to develop practical skills and unleash their creativity.

6. Girls-only events:

Create events and competitions specifically for girls so that they can develop their interests and test their skills in a safe space. One example is the EGOI 2024 - European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics.

"In an ideal world, we would not need closed spaces for women, but until equality is reached it is important that girls and young women can develop in protected spaces," says OCG gender expert Katharina Resch-Schobel.

7. Show opportunities:

Girls should learn that IT is a diverse and exciting industry that offers well-paid jobs, including fields like medicine, environmental science and art.

8. Role models:

Female computer scientists should act as role models and mentors to show girls that they can be successful in this field. To the OCG press release on 8 March.

We need women to successfully shape the future - let us start now!