Why women are less likely to work in the digital industry and how social cont­acts help us when starting a business

„People who feel digi­tally compe­tent are more likely to start a busi­ness,“ explains Dr. Natalia Gorynia-Pfeffer, refe­rent at the RKW Compe­tence Center and respon­sible for the Global Entre­pre­neur­ship Monitor (GEM). The online event on October 6 on the topic of ​„Digital Gender Gap and Social Capital in the Digital Startup World“ provided impetus on how women can use their social networks to successfully gain a foot­hold as foun­ders and high­lighted the problem of the digital gender gap. The two female role models Lisa Bittig­hofer, CEO of the company Naked­Minds in Munich, and Sandra Jörg, CEO of the company BLACKPIN in Aalen, were preceded by a scien­tific illu­mi­na­tion of the inter­na­tional start-up scene, taking into account gender diffe­rences and digital skills. The event was orga­nized by Kontakt­stelle Frau und Beruf Ostwürt­tem­berg in coope­ra­tion with goHfG.

The GEM spea­kers made it clear: ​„There is defi­ni­tely a digital gender gap, that is, a gap in digital skills between men and women.“ This results in more men than women starting their own busi­nesses, as the importance of digital skills for a startup has increased in recent years. In contrast, women-led busi­nesses are more likely to with­stand the Corona pandemic and are more resi­lient to crises. Lisa Bittig­hofer, Mana­ging Director of Naked­Minds, an expert network for trans­for­ma­tion and digi­tiza­tion, explained the reasons for this. Her presen­ta­tion ​„Networks are my capital“ provided insights into Bittig­ho­fer’s own biography, which led to the successful foun­ding of the company. Networ­king people with diffe­rent compe­ten­cies and exper­tise is her busi­ness model here. ​„Ever­yone can do some­thing, but no one can do ever­y­thing“ is the motto of her well-networked company, which draws on the talents and skills of each and every indi­vi­dual. Using one’s own social capital, i.e. personal connec­tions and acquain­tances of a private or busi­ness nature is an irre­placeable treasure to start and survive as a founder. Well-connected people find it easier, for example, to access venture capital and invest­ment when they need it.

In the event’s round­table discus­sion, the spea­kers met Sandra Jörg of BLACKPIN, who encou­raged the parti­ci­pants, ​„If you have a promi­sing busi­ness idea, it’s best to start and look for people who can comple­ment your skills and make up for any missing know­ledge.“ Her company proves that this stra­tegy can bear fruit. Combined with a corpo­rate culture that thrives on team spirit, cohe­sion, and a willing­ness to perform, BLACKPIN is a show­case in the digital industry.

Digi­ta­liza­tion has become indis­pensable in almost every area of life. Diver­sity contri­butes to compa­nies“ ability to inno­vate – that’s one reason why more women are needed in digital profes­sions. In addi­tion, the digital industry offers many new career fields that require a wide range of compe­ten­cies and not just digital skills. However, reco­gni­zing the digital industry as a career option is only possible if digital skills are available. This requires educa­tion and trai­ning oppor­tu­ni­ties and, above all, the atti­tude that tech­nical inte­rest and digital skills can be trained regard­less of gender.