#UNESCO is looking for initiatives promoting women’s role in Free and Open Source Software
►http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unesco_is_looking_for_initiatives_promoting_womens_role_in_free_and_open_sou
UNESCO’s Gender Equality in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) community is looking for groups and initiatives that promote women’s role and representation in FOSS. This will allow building a comprehensive repository of FOSS Groups and Initiatives by and for Women and Girls.
(...) According to UNESCO’s Report on Gender Equality and Free and Open Source Software, globally less than 20 per cent of ICT developers and FOSS users are women. Furthermore, women’s entry level wages are only 17 per cent of men’s wages. Figures are especially worrying in FOSS. Only 2 per cent of professionals working in FOSS are women, compared to 28 per cent in proprietary software.
For this reason, UNESCO calls on FOSS communities to build a comprehensive list of FOSS Groups and Initiatives for Women and Girls. (...)
[objectives]:
to raise awareness about the gender gaps in FOSS;
to give more visibility to women-led FOSS groups and activities, including their important role as models and mentors for women and girls interested in FOSS;
to highlight women’s representation and achievements in FOSS, and dedicated activities;
to provide a platform where different FOSS groups can create collaborative efforts, exchange information through relevant NGOs, associations, business, academia and the public sectors, and promote initiatives contributing to women’s participation and advancement in FOSS.
