A Long Path to Full Citizenship. Women and Technology

Gender digital gap is based on a gender stereotype that affects women jobs and careers in one of the most promising economic sector. Despite their higher qualifications, women have often little presence in most qualified and well paid tasks, while men are advantaged in technical, scientific, executive and entrepreneurial roles. Furthermore, there are whole segments of the ICT labor market in which women are absent. Women under-representation reinforces traditional power dynamics between men and women. If the information technology sector represents the future, women seem to be partially excluded. Technology is still stereotyped as a male role. This bias is strengthened through a vicious cycle that sees young student girls still poorly oriented (primarily by families, but also by the school and the social representation of technological professions) to STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) choices.

The present paper aims to provide a review of the research on Italian and Piedmont situation in a comparative European perspective through secondary institutional databases, taking into account the areas of education, labor skills and careers. The goal is twofold. On one hand I want to provide deep insights of this complex phenomenon based on some statistical evidence. On the other trough case study analysis. I want to identify the actions implemented by the Digital Agenda of Piedmont in order to reduce the gender digital divide. In particular, the paper will evaluate the way in which public and private interventions and polices, addressed to Millennials generation, reach the goal of bridging the gender digital gap in order to offer new and adequate opportunities for future professional career of young women coming out from high school courses or universities.