Activities of Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES related to 2019/2164(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers (debate)
Amendments (17)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
- having regard to the 2020 Women in Digital Scoreboard1a , _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single- market/en/news/digital-economy- scoreboard-shows-women-europe-are- less-likely-work-or-be-skilled-ict
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU is facing an unparalleled shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and education, particularly considering that women make up 52 % of the European population, yet only account for 2 out of 5 scientists and engineers6 ; whereas although there has been a positive trend in the involvement and interest of girls in STEM education, the percentages remain insufficient; whereas attitudes towards STEM do not differ between boys and girls through primary education, and in many cases girls often outperform boys in STEM and ICT-related tasks7 ; whereas, however, girls fear that they will be less successful than boys in STEM-related careers; whereas women are under- represented at all levels in the digital sector in Europe, from students (32% at Bachelor, Master or equivalent level) up to top academic positions (15%); whereas the gap is largest in ICT specialist skills and employment, where only 18% are women in the EU7a ; _________________ 6 Eurostat, Human resources in science and technology, annual average data 2016- 2020. 7 O’Dea, R.E., Lagisz, M., Jennions, M.D. et al., Gender differences in individual variation in academic grades fail to fit expected patterns for STEM, Nature Communications 9, 3777, 2018. 7a https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single- market/en/news/digital-economy- scoreboard-shows-women-europe-are- less-likely-work-or-be-skilled-ict
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas gender stereotypes greatly influence subject choices; whereas very few teenage girls in EU Member States (less than 3 %) express an interest in working as an ICT professional at the age of 30 1a; whereas teachers and parents can deepen gender stereotypes by discouraging girls from pursuing a career in ICT; whereas eliminating gender- specific expectations about professions and fostering female role models in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and ICT can encourage girls to study ICT; _________________ 1a2018 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS).
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the low numbers of women who work in innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can negatively affect the design, development and implementation of these technologies, causing the replication of existing discriminatory practices and stereotypes, and the development of ‘gender-biased algorithms’; whereas efforts to tackle gender bias and inequality in the digital sector are insufficient; whereas the gender gap persists across all digital technology domains and especially with regard to AI, thereby solidifying a male- biased trajectory for the digital sector in the foreseeable future;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas that 30% of entrepreneurs are women in Europa, but they only receive 2%of the non-bank financing available 1a; whereas this figure seems to has dropped to 1% with the pandemic; _________________ 1aFunding women entrepreneurs. How to empower growth. European Commission, 2018
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas the COVID19 crisis is likely to result in permanent changes to life in Europe, in which digitalisation will have a major role; whereas COVID 19 is also widening the digital gender gap 1a, as women's digital literacy is lacking and majority of services are digitalized; _________________ 1ahttp://www.oecd.org/digital/bridging- the-digital-gender-divide.pdf
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas the FRA’s survey on violence against women shows that 14 % of women have experienced cyber harassment since the age of 15; whereas high incidences of sexual harassment have been reported in STEM education sites, which further excludes women from the sector; whereas many women have been the victims of new forms of online sexual and psychological harassment during the COVID-19 period; whereas measures to address these new forms of sexual and psychological harassment are urgently needed; whereas the hyper- sexualisation and exploitation of women online, in particular via internet pornography, have a devastating effect on the construction of sexuality and on gender equality;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to combat gendered labour market segmentation in STEM careers by investing in formal, informal and non- formal education, lifelong learning and vocational training for women to ensure their access to high-quality employment and opportunities to re- and up-skill for future labour market demand and avoiding the present vicious circle of segregation of labour; calls, in particular, for greater promotion of entrepreneurship, STEM subjects and digital education for girls from an early age, in order to combat existing educational stereotypes and ensure more women enter developing and well- paid sectors;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Emphasizes that the COVID 19 is opening a new stage in the world of work, education, governance and everyday life. Therefore, digital literacy and capabilities are becoming very important, as well as new conditions on teleworking that have shown an important gender divide during the pandemic and lockdowns; highlights the urgency to promote gender balance in the digital sector due the way that people and companies use ICT and other digital technologies to work and interact for the new digital society;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 and its action to ‘Encourage women’s participation in STEM’, and hopes that it will help to develop more attractive and creative ways to encourage girls to pursue STEM studies, as well as to boost women’s self- confidence in their digital skills; stresses thar girls only represent 36% of STEM graduates 1a, despite the fact that girls outperform boys in digital literacy 1b; _________________ 1ahttps://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/9540ffa1-4478-11e9- a8ed-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 1b2018 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS).
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Highlights that participation of girls and women in the field of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) must be actively promoted through concrete policy action to foster their full participation and inclusion in the digital economy;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises the role of school and teachers in eliminating the gender gap in STEM education, and highlights the role of education in promoting the presence of girls in STEM-related courses and in establishing benchmarks to monitor female recruitment and retention; highlights that education systems and the overall learning environment play a pivotal role in determining girls’ interests in STEAM -including Arts- subjects and in providing equal opportunities to access high quality STEAM education;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Emphasises the need for investment in education and training and gender-sensitive recruitment and selection processes across private and public sectors, and particularly in future- oriented sectors such as STEM and the digital sector where women are underrepresented; highlights in that regard that discrimination on grounds of gender damages not only the individual but also society as a whole;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Highlights that one of AI’s most critical weaknesses relates to certain types of biases such as gender, race or sexual orientation as a result of humans’ inherent biases; encourages the relevant actors to take action and promote a greater role for women in the design, development and implementation of machine learning, natural language processing and AI; underlines that AI must not reinforce gender inequalities and stereotypes by transforming analogue biases and prejudices into digital ones through algorithms;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Stresses the need for social dialogue as regards the implementation of AI in general and ahead of any AI deployment at company level in particular; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure trade union access to workplaces, albeit in digital form, in order to promote collective bargaining and guarantee a human- centred approach to AI at work;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recognises that AI, if it is free of underlying biases, can be a powerful tool to overcome gender inequalities and stereotypes through the development of unbiased algorithms that contribute to overall fairness and well-being; stresses the importance of a common European approach with regard to the ethical aspects of AI; underlines that any regulatory framework for AI in the European Union must ensure that consumer and workers’ rights are fully respected in the digital economy, and contribute to better working and employment conditions, including a better work-life balance ; stresses, in addition, that the European AI framework must respect European values, Union rules and the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on the Commission to assist Member States’ competent authorities to pay special attention to new forms of violence against women and girls such as cyber harassment, and cyberstalking 1a and to carry out ongoing evaluations and address them more effectively; _________________ 1aViolence against women: an EU-wide survey. Main results - report by FRA, p. 87