Women in the digital World: Safety and Empowerment

The European Parliament is at the forefront of promoting equal opportunities for women in the scientific and digital world. During Gender Equality Week, the European Parliament has decided to dedicate a series of events both in Brussels and in all European capitals to the theme.

The Office of the European Parliament in Italy is organizing, as part of the Gender Equality Week, an event between Rome and Brussels with the participation of politicians, industry experts, and influencers with the aim of promoting debate on gender equality, empowerment, and addressing digital challenges.

The debates across Europe will cover various areas including the gender perspective in the online and digital dimension, artificial intelligence, accessibility for women in the scientific, digital environment, and more generally in STEM subjects.

The digital environment has provided many women with a perspective for personal and professional development after the harsh crisis, including job losses, that has affected women during the pandemic.

And the European Parliament has repeatedly emphasized the importance for women to be able to access the opportunities offered by the digital world also in terms of entrepreneurship and professional outlook.

The debate also falls within the recent decisions adopted by the European Parliament such as the directive on combating violence against women, the Digital Service Act, and the Artificial Intelligence Act.

The event in Rome will focus on digital challenges for women, the fight against the phenomenon of deep fakes, and opportunities for women in STEM fields - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - and more generally in the digital environment.

Experts, creators, journalists, and professionals in scientific fields will participate in the event, enriching the debate with testimonies and reflections on female empowerment in the digital context.

The interventions will focus on the challenges and opportunities for women in the technological and scientific sectors, as well as on the fight against digital violence.

• 10:15 - Introductory greetings
• 10.30 - Opening Session, connected from Brussels
  The event will begin with speeches from the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the Vice President responsible for Gender Equality Week, Antonella Sberna, focusing on European policies on gender equality. In Brussels, the President of the FEMM committee of the European Parliament, Mrs. Lina Galvez, the President of the High-Level Group on Gender Equality, Mrs. Eva Kopacz, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Spanish Prime Minister, will speak on the 20th anniversary of the Spanish law against violence against women. The event will be broadcast live in European capitals.
• 10.45 - Session with "Experience Europe - David Sassoli"
  Among the guests who will be speaking:
  • Linda Laura SABBADINI, a European pioneer in gender statistics, has contributed to the collection and analysis of data to promote gender equality in the European context.
  • Donatella CRISTIANO engineer, National President of AIDIA
  • Laura LIGUORI Lawyer, Vice President Women&Tech® ETS
  • Maria BOSCO, an expert in mathematical and digital information for Geopop with over 3 million followers, is dedicated to scientific and digital outreach.
  • Greta ROSA, an expert in green technology and mobility on Typo, with 207 thousand followers, promotes sustainable innovation and ecological digitalization.
  • Elania ZITO tells the story of Europe on social media and is an Ambassador for DigitalEU with a focus on digitalization and inclusivity.
  • Eleonora FRANCICA, journalist for Science Business, focuses on science, innovation, and economy.
  • Gian Marco PASSERINI National Observatory of Digital Media IDMO/EDMO/Luiss