Speaking at the BBC WiSTEM Annual Lectures in London on 11 December, Anne Richardson, who leads on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for the EBU, highlighted some of the many actions undertaken by Europe's public media organizations to help address the under-representation of women in science, technology and engineering roles.
The annual event was held under the banner of BBC's Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WiSTEM) initiative, with collaboration from the EBU, UNESCO, social enterprise Stemettes, and RTBF, the French-speaking public broadcaster in Belgium, a Member of the EBU.
In her contribution, Anne Richardson pointed out that, although women make up around 50% of the workforce in public service media (PSM) organizations, figures from the EBU Media Intelligence Service show that only one in seven technicians and one in four engineers are women. It was also discouraging, she said, that these figures had not improved over the past five years.
PSM taking action
On a more positive note, emphasizing that change would only come with a multidisciplinary approach, she described a range of initiatives and activities from around the EBU membership – mentioning examples from Italy, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands – that demonstrate how PSM are working to shape a future for women in STEM. These included the production and distribution of content that challenges stereotypes; the creation of partnerships with universities and technical schools; the provision of media coaching; mentoring and sponsorship for graduates; and the maintenance of lists of women experts in technical fields who can be called upon when programme contributors are sought.
The EBU itself also is also strongly commited to nurturing talent, breaking barriers and cultivating an inclusive environment. For example, activities led by the Technology & Innovation Department include participation in the annual International Girls in ICT Day and actions to increase the number of women speaking and moderating at technology events.
The BBC WiSTEM Annual Lectures were followed by a screening of the documentary Women in Science, directed by Safia Kessas, director, author, journalist, and Head of DEI at RTBF. This documentary highlights the profiles of six scientists from the four corners of Europe.