The Francesc Ribalta Institute has opened its doors to the EuroFUE-UJI to hold a gender workshop with the collaboration of GeST (gest.uji.es) in order to create a space for debate and learning about the figure of women in STEM studies (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The students have participated in the different activities that have been carried out, such as games representing stereotypical situations that exist in their environment, proposed by the young people themselves. They have also generated debate from the reading of various statements assigned by gender roles, such as: “A woman can have the same skills as a man” or “A man can also take care of housework,” from that various points of view have emerged. After this, the students were asked their opinion about women in the field of STEM study, offering them the opportunity to share their experiences and personal vision.
The objectives of this project are, first of all, to establish synergies between schools and the labor market to achieve creative and significant participation of girls in STEM education through a mentoring program. On the other hand, it also seeks to develop a virtual platform as a resource center for practical and innovative learning solutions that complement the curricula of schools and, finally, exploit and disseminate personalized activities by promoting the use of the platform.
The EIGE study (European Institute for Gender Equality) on the economic benefits of gender equality (2017) shows that reducing gender segregation in STEM education alone could lead to another 1.2 million jobs in the EU. However, it is estimated that these jobs will mainly occur in the long term, after new STEM graduates decide to work in this field.
At the same time, the higher productivity associated with these STEM jobs is likely to translate into higher salaries for recent female graduates, which will affect the wage gap between men and women, as well as women's income and standard of living. men, boys and their extended families (European Parliament, 2015).
Thanks to the contribution of the IES Francesc Ribalta, its teaching team and its students, the EuroFUE-UJI and the GeST research group have been able to carry out this workshop where all the participating parties have had the opportunity to learn about their environment and about themselves.
