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home > Media services > News > Women in IT: debate in Paris Women in IT: debate in Paris On 7 July 2008, seven teachers and 14 female students from 14 to 18 years old, coming from six different European countries, attended the debate ‘Women in IT’. The event was organised by Microsoft in collaboration with UNESCO, European Schoolnet, INSEAD and the Women’s Forum, which took place as part of the ‘Imagine Cup’ competition. This debate focused on the need for promoting deeper participation of young women in technology and science studies. Together with girls from the Imagine Cup final teams, who are already engaged in IT studies, they discussed their perspective and compare views on the opportunities for undertaking scientific and technology studies.The European Commissioner for Education, Culture and Youth, Jan Figel’, the Vice-President of Developer and Platform group, Microsoft Corp, Simon Brown, the astronaut and former French minister for Research and IT, Claudie Haigneré and the Secretary General of European Schoolnet, Marc Durando, also took part in this event and shared their views with the girls on this burning societal issue. The discussion was conducted by Aude de Thuin, President of the Women’s Forum. It was noticed that girls’ interest in IT studies and careers is declining. In spite of interventions and programmes launched to counter it, the imbalance remains indeed significant. The meeting was the occasion to exchange information and personal experience among the participants. The discussions highlighted the challenge to make this sector more attractive and to lift the tedious image of the ‘geek’. This is why, as Aude de Thuin said, it is essential to identify women models in sciences and computing, to organise advertising campaigns and to innovate with prizes and rewards. Claudie Haigneré also told her story and insisted on the fact that being a woman in the IT sector is not a disadvantage, and has even been an asset in her career.
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