STA, 16 December 2018 - Slovenia has the largest share of women graduates in sciences, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) among all EU member states, show figures released by European Commission earlier this week.
According to the study Women in the Digital Age, the share of women graduates in STEM stands at 20.5 per 1,000 persons aged 20 to 29 in Slovenia, which compares to the EU average of 13.1 per 1,000 graduates.
The study brings an assessment of the participation of women in the digital economy, showing women lag behind men in several areas in the EU.
Only one in six information and communications technology (ICT) experts are women, and although women represent 52% of the EU's population, only 17% work in ICT.
However, data for the 16-24 age group are more encouraging, as the gap in digital participation between women and men is fairly narrow.
In the age group, 55% of women are active in the digital world compared to 60% of men, with the trend even starting to reverse in certain countries, with women outperforming men in the category.
Slovenia is the 10th best performing country in terms of integrating women in the digital sector, while the leader is Finland, with Bulgaria at the bottom of the list.
Slovenia performed best in specialist skills and employment (3rd place) and worst in the use of the internet (19th).
The Commission's first annual review of women's participation in the digital economy is based on the Women in Digital Scoreboard, which brings together 13 indicators in three fields: internet use, internet user skills, and specialist skills and employment.
It is to serve as a tool for the Commission and national governments to identify shortcoming and take action to improve the situation.
