Tech: why Belgium struggles to attract women to engineering professions
A surprising observation has recently been brought to light: Belgium is lagging significantly behind in terms of the feminization of technology professions. While the digital sector is expanding rapidly, the number of female engineers remains relatively low in our country, unlike in other regions of the world.
Morocco, for example, stands out as the country with the second-highest number of female industrial engineers in the world. This trend is not limited to the Maghreb, as sub-Saharan Africa also shows encouraging figures. These countries manage to attract more female profiles to scientific and technical careers than many European nations.
In Belgium, experts highlight several obstacles that hinder this progress. Gender stereotypes, which still too often associate engineering professions with men, play a major role. Furthermore, the choice of secondary studies remains a critical moment where young girls sometimes turn away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields due to a lack of inspiring role models.
To bridge this gap, initiatives are emerging to raise awareness among students from a very young age. The goal is to show that tech jobs are accessible to everyone and offer varied career prospects. This is a crucial economic issue for Belgium, which needs all its talent to remain competitive on the international stage.
In conclusion, while Belgium has a dynamic technological ecosystem, diversity within teams remains a challenge to be met. Drawing inspiration from international models could help better encourage women to join this sector of the future.