The HER TECH project, which addresses the issue of women’s participation in STEM and ICT across Europe, is currently conducting Work Package 4: “A generational perspective on women’s motivation in the ICT and STEM sectors.” In this phase of the research project, women are primarily being interviewed about their personal experiences. What makes this unique is that both the online survey and the in-depth interviews span all age groups—from the Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, to Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2025.
The changes and rapid developments in the fields of natural sciences, computer science, and technology are also reflected in the participation in the survey and the interviews. As a first step, Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences, which represents Germany in this project, reached out to numerous internal and external networks to distribute the survey as widely as possible. Through the university’s channels, we reached students in the departments of computer science, timber construction, engineering, and applied natural and human sciences. The alumni network provided access to graduates from the university’s various degree programs. Contacts with STEM organizations, initiatives, and programs ensured a broad, nationwide reach and responses from a wide variety of professional groups. Last but not least, we utilized personal contacts and groups.
The response was overwhelming. It seems that a great many women felt addressed by the direct questions about their experiences.
It was difficult to achieve the set goals for marginalized groups. Both Baby Boomer women and Gen Alpha girls (or their parents) were underrepresented in the survey. Possible reasons in both cases include limited access to technology—in the first case, because the technology simply did not yet exist, and in the second case, because the use of technology is not yet as common in that age group—as well as a lack of career and educational opportunities in technical fields.
With over 120 responses, we more than doubled our initial target and also received a great deal of positive feedback from participants expressing interest in an in-depth interview. Two to three women from each of the five generations were interviewed using a standardized Europe-wide interview format.
The life experiences and perspectives shared revealed that women from all cohorts confirmed having to prove themselves and assert themselves more strongly in a work environment that is often male-dominated. A healthy sense of self-confidence and a thick skin when it comes to comments were identified as important prerequisites for feeling comfortable. However, women from the older cohorts often described the environment as less complicated and more natural than their female colleagues from the younger cohorts did. They simply didn’t give it a second thought, and the fact that women were underrepresented in technical fields was discussed less frequently. Nevertheless, all opportunities were available—you just had to persevere, according to the prevailing sentiment of the Baby Boomer generation. Respondents rated intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and interest as more important than external incentives. Good teachers, plenty of practical, real-world examples in the classroom, and parental support were identified as key factors for fostering girls’ interest in STEM subjects.
Among younger generations, it is evident that, in addition to personal interest in technical topics, targeted support programs and female role models are increasingly perceived as important factors. While intrinsic motivation and curiosity continue to play a central role in the decision to pursue a STEM path, programs such as tech camps or safe learning spaces for girls are described as particularly supportive. They can help build self-confidence and convey early on that technical fields are also open to women. Looking back, one interviewee described a tech camp as a formative experience: “I found this initiative—the fact that they really took us by the hand and said, ‘Hey, why don’t you try this tech camp for girls?’—to be a great thing.”
Balancing work and family is an issue across generations that women describe as difficult. The lack of part-time options in male-dominated professions, the rapid development of technology while women are on parental leave, and the constant juggling act between work and children were all topics raised in interviews with mothers. What’s missing here are flexible working conditions regarding hours, but also a shift in societal attitudes: “You have to tell women that they aren’t bad mothers just because they work,” one interviewee explained. All the women from older generations who were interviewed also noted that they currently perceive a trend toward regression among their younger female colleagues. “We fought for you!” one woman summarized. Trends such as “tradwives”—where a woman consciously chooses a very conservative division of roles in marriage, with the man working as the sole breadwinner and she taking care of the household and children—are gaining more and more followers. Role models and norms are already being passed on to young girls, and many mothers in particular place value on traditional “girls’ toys,” the color pink, and activities traditionally associated with girls. “Girls and boys should be raised with an open mind, regardless of who wants to play with dolls or toy cars. I’m noticing right now that this is often deliberately steered along gender lines. Yet children are naturally curious and interested in everything. That’s where we need to start. Then there would be more girls in STEM fields and more boys in social professions,” one woman interviewed is certain.
Nevertheless, the issue of equality plays a greater role for younger generations. Awareness has increased, and injustices are being discussed more openly and challenged more frequently. Young women are asserting their rights more strongly and, in some cases, want to be trailblazers.
Photo: By Ben photography Ai, generated with AI
