This week, 50 influential women of more than 30 nationalities came together in Berlin to discuss how to improve the role of women globally. Led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, the G7-Dialogforum invited key female leaders from the fields of politics, business, science and civil society to discuss how women can play a stronger role in these areas.
The event took place at the Federal Chancellery as part of the German G7 Presidency. Chancellor Merkel made clear that gender equality is not only a question of fairness, but an economic imperative: We have to value every person, not only 50%. Education, training and access to the digital tools of the 21st century were seen as critical by the panelists to increase the economic participation of women.
In this context, women’s entrepreneurship is positioned as a key driver of innovation, growth and jobs. However, across G7 countries and around the world, far fewer women than men run their own businesses. This is often due to barriers that women face in starting and growing businesses. Specific needs of female entrepreneurs need to be addressed, including access to finance, markets, ICT and the internet, skills, leadership opportunities and networks.
Participants at the forum included Her Majesty Queen Rania from Jordan, the President from Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, the head of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark, Secretary General of OECD, Gurria Angel and Executive Director UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. They were engaged in four working groups focusing on women’s political participation, economic empowerment, healthcare, and opportunities in a digital world.
Intel’s President Renee James lead the working group “New Opportunities for Women in a Digital World”. Participants agreed that digitalisation has changed the world and that ICT offers a significant opportunity for advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment and equitable development. However, for girls and women to fully participate and benefit in economic and societal life, every sector of society needs to be addressed:
- Teachers play a key role in the education system and women empowerment. A culture of risk taking needs to be created that accepts failure and increases self-confidence.
- Companies need to encourage and train women, retain and take care of those already in the workforce and improve recruitment processes. Collaboration with the public sector is critical.
- Cultural stereotypes need to be broken and girls need to be offered opportunities from the very beginning.
- Women need inspiring female and male role models as well as access to mentors and quality skills.
- Access to electricity, technology and funding, in particular in developing countries, is a prerequisite.
Digitalisation is an opportunity for both women and men, but if not addressed proactively, it could create a further gender divide. Therefore, digital qualification which values women and men equally is a prerequisite. Education is an important foundation to achieve gender equality in policy, economy and society as a whole. It places women into a stronger position, as it provides an economic basis for women to stay in the workplace and be independent from men. Education is an investment for the future, it is long-term and lasts for generations.
Intel strongly supports this view, which is why it has pledged $300m to help address diversity in the technology sector and fund engineering scholarships to attract more women and ethnic minorities. This investment is grounded in the belief that education and Internet access are fundamental rights. Connecting to technology can open doors to a wealth of financial, health, and education resources that dramatically expand opportunities and improve lives. Beyond our efforts to continue to improve the diversity within our own workforce and our supply chain, Intel has been focused on both expanding education and technology access for girls and women, as well as inspiring more girls and young women to become the future creators of technology.
All participants at Chancellor Merkel’s forum agreed that collaboration is essential for women to have a real impact in their lives. The forum itself was a prime example of collaboration and clearly demonstrated that fundamental change only happens when it is backed by strong networks and effects many facets of society.
Click here to watch the session in full: Bundesregierung | Live aus dem Kanzleramt