Girls and women demonstrate that they "can accomplish anything they want."

The International Day of the Girl took place again this year on October 11. The aim is to draw attention to the challenges and discrimination faced by girls around the world in order to consciously strengthen their rights.

Contrary to many expectations, there are still major inequalities today, especially in the IT and business world. Currently, only one in 20 jobs in the IT sector is held by a woman. According to a 2020 study, In an international comparison, Germany was the only country in which none of the 30 largest companies achieved a proportion of women on the board of directors of 30% or more. What stood out in particular was that none of these companies were led by a woman. However, the figures do not look any better in the start-up sector either: 20% of founders are female and only 37% of start-up teams include at least one woman. This means that women are still clearly underrepresented.

These figures often raise the question: "What can we do to achieve progress?" That is what we asked our founder and CEO Carolin Edler-Mende. The mother of three daughters, who has a diploma in mathematics, leads the way as a female role model and tries to be a role model for young women and girls. In addition to the structural and political changes that are necessary, she identified two areas in our interview where she believes she can "make a difference" based on her experience in the IT and business world. As a working mother and ambitious leader, being a role model for her daughters is central to her approach. The founder is also referring to a Harvard Business School study carried out in 2019 that showed how much children benefit from working mothers. When it comes to daughters, it increases the probability by 4.5% that they will also be employed later on and earn even more money. Sons, on the other hand, develop a more liberal view of gender roles and often look for partners who also work, according to the study. This is precisely why it is so important to Edler-Mende to set an example that women should realize their own potential. As a female founder and entrepreneur, she wants to be a role model in the IT and business world and show: "It is possible. These women exist, just do it too." In her opinion, this is why role models are so important.

It is equally important to encourage girls and women to be more daring. Carolin Edler-Mende gives an example from her everyday working life, which she believes speaks "volumes about socialization". When faced with unfamiliar tasks outside their own comfort zone, women often react less confidently in a professional context, tend to be insecure and are skeptical of their own abilities. In contrast, men tend to approach the same situation with more confidence and a "Why shouldn't I be able to do that?" attitude. Women have been denied self-confidence and their own opinions for too long, which is why it is " incredibly important that we raise our children, our daughters, to be confident women."

Empowering young girls and women, not always telling them what is dangerous and what can go wrong, is therefore the overall goal. This is precisely how inequalities between women and men in the world of work, and especially in the IT and business world, can be changed. Or as Carolin Edler-Mende appeals: "Aim for the stars. You can do anything. Just do it. Be courageous girls, become courageous women."