Berlin: Initiative for women in the technology sector

The technology sector is still very much a male domain. Statistics show that men have the largest share in leadership positions in the digital economy and that only 9 percent of startups in Berlin have been founded by women. However, the industry is growing at unprecedented rates: digitisation is a major driver for innovation. A necessary prerequisite for this are digital talents, creative minds and a diverse ecosystem which in turn requires gender diversity.

The number of female startup founders and initiatives for female entrepreneurship in Berlin have risen. Companies that were (co-)founded by women are seen as more innovative, more successful and economically more sustainable. Research also shows that teams consisting of women and men develop ideas that are more innovative, and that they achieve better results and have a positive effect on corporate climate.

In recent years, numerous initiatives were launched all over the world in order to support women who are looking to start a company or women who already work in the digital, tech and media industries. These initiatives are united in their goal to strengthen female empowerment in the professional world, create more visibility for women (e.g. at conferences, in leadership positions) and achieve better working conditions (e.g. relating to working hours models, payment, career opportunities). In Berlin, the initiatives use various formats to achieve their goals, including programming workshops, networking events, consultation meetings, mentoring events and online communities. All these initiatives and different measures associated with them are presented in the brochure “Berlin: Women in Tech”.