Today marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 to spread the culture of gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.
For many years TIM has partnered with Valore D, the association of companies for the promotion of female employment and leadership, which for this occasion is organising the talk "STEM: the heroes of a great story" streamed live at 16:00, which you can subscribe to by clicking here.
Today's talk is under the umbrella of "Empowerment" in Progetto Donna, TIM’s project for women, an initiative that supports the spread of the culture of equal opportunity and the professional growth of women in the company. The Valore D event is a valuable opportunity to hear the stories of six outstanding STEM role models and reflect on Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."
Girls choosing STEM subjects
According to data provided by UNESCO girls who choose to study STEM subjects are still a minority due to the very common stereotypes and prejudices that women have less of an aptitude to study science than men. However, the truth is that women who study STEM subjects perform better than men, although cultural conditioning and limited career opportunities often discourage girls from choosing scientific studies. In order to overcome this bias, it is necessary to act to spread a culture of equal opportunity and role modelling of women scientists, to whom girls can look to when choosing university studies and successful career paths.
TIM's commitment to bridging the gender gap
On this front, the first action taken by the Progetto Donna was the publication of TIM’s Manifesto for closing the gender gap which consists of 5 specific commitments that TIM has made to its people, using various tools such as networking, techniques for improving one's ability to communicate and assert oneself, coaching and mentoring, role modelling meetings, and much more. Language also plays a key role in a culture of inclusion and in breaking down gender barriers. TIM has, in fact, launched training courses on gender bias and language and administered the Harvard Implicit Test to the entire population of the company, with the aim of understanding the mechanisms by which gender-related prejudices operate in evaluating people and making choices. As part of the Progetto Donna, TIM also promotes shared parenting and has doubled the availability of days for paternity leave in 2021.
TIM's focus and activities on issues related to women's empowerment and the gender gap is constant and it is always looking for new tools to offer its people, in the belief that diversity and inclusion are an essential value within companies and in society.