“There’s still a lot of work to be done... I’ve been in business for many years, so we know we’re having an impact. But the statistics don't change.” Founder and managing director of Wide Andco  laments the fact that year after year, changes in attitudes do nothing to change the fact that women remain under-represented in tech.

Not that women are losing interest. On the contrary, “girls come to the activities we offer, they really enjoy what they do, but it’s when it comes to choosing a course of study that it all comes down to it,” she continues. There are many persistent obstacles that are present from an early age.

“Unfortunately, children know very well what a girl’s role is and what a boy’s role is in society. Education is very gendered. These are messages that are quickly integrated. I have a daughter. At the age of 2, she knew that she was a girl, that her mum was a girl, and so on. By the age of 2 and a half, she knew what a girl’s toy was and what a boy’s toy was... Early childhood is where it’s all about. Ultimately, we’re too late. But there is room for manoeuvre, and that’s what we need to explore,” says Andrieu.

“The fairly relevant example in Luxembourg is a young girl who is doing well in science and is advised to go into medicine. IT is not one of the career options on offer. We need to tell parents, even the most educated ones, that their daughter could become the next Mark Zuckerberg,” asserts Andrieu, who tirelessly preaches the good word at events and did so again on 26 June at an invigorating roundtable.

“Energising the country”

The Women in Tech organisation, which already has a presence in some fifty countries, now intends to carry out this awareness-raising mission in Luxembourg, where it has just started its activities. “The idea is to energise the country on this issue and highlight all the initiatives being taken at local level,” explains country director Zineb Bensaid, who is also founder and CKO of Dealfox, a company specialising in finding investment opportunities. Bensaid works hand in hand with CEO Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder of Women in Tech Global, the international leadership structure.

“Family background,” “stereotypes”... For her, the explanation for the lack of female employees is “multifactorial.” Is the time for change here? “We have to be optimistic, and that’s why we exist,” replies the woman who remembers, throughout her career, often being the “only” or the “most.” The “only” woman at the negotiating table, the “youngest”... “I’ve never made it an issue, but through my encounters, I know that it can be an issue for some. So we need to support them.”

This article was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.