The share of women in the field of sanitation, heating and climate control technology, for example, is around 2 percent. And in the field of buildings and infrastructure systems electronics, it is just 3 percent.
On the other hand, how can boys be convinced to work in fields dominated by women – such as nursery schools or care? Notions about gender-specific roles continue to encourage girls and boys to choose “classic” career paths: in the MINT occupations (maths, information technology, natural sciences and technology), just 17 percent of the employees enrolled in the social insurance system are women. Occupations such as nursery school teaching and social work, in contrast, are dominated by women, with just 17 per cent of the employees being men.
Overcoming stereotypes on Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day
On 27th April, Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day is taking place throughout Germany. The day enables girls all over Germany to gain an insight into male-dominated occupations. And it’s the same for boys: they get to learn about the professions that are dominated by women. The goal is to allow young people to find out about the full range of occupations on offer without being limited by gender stereotypes in terms of their higher education or career choices.
“Gender stereotypes should not play any role when it comes to career choices. After all, young people should choose the career that best suits their strengths and interests. Despite this, boys and girls frequently decide on the same occupations on a gender-specific basis. Learning through trying things out helps people to find out about the occupational fields that may suit them – but which they may intuitively assign to persons of the opposite gender. The Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day is therefore a great campaign day for thinking outside of the box,” explains Daniel Terzenbach, Regional Director at the BA.
In their search for the skilled staff of the future, companies and organisations all over Germany will be offering young people insights behind the scenes to help them with their career orientation. With the help of the “Radar”, young people can find out about suitable events taking place in their local area on the websites www.girls-day.de and www.boys-day.de.
The BA supports the campaign day
The Federal Employment Agency is participating in many of the events organised as part of the Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day. Its equal opportunities officers will be coordinating the activities nationwide: among others, girls will get to programme robots, while boys will get a taste for the occupational field of social work and public administration. On Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day, federal employment agencies, Jobcenters and agencies for youth employment will also inform about apprenticeship roles and careers for graduates at the BA. After all, the BA is seeking fifty new apprentices for the field of IT. The BA also wants to use the campaign day to specifically promote the attractiveness of the IT industry to girls. For this purpose, the IT systems department at the BA will be providing information about the apprenticeship programme for IT specialists.
The background to Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day
Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day takes place each year. In addition to the Federal Employment Agency, it is also supported by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Other organisations that participate in the Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day include the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), the Federation of German Trade Unions (DGB), the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Association of German Rural Municipalities.
Further information and several online offerings such as Check-U, the search tool of the BA for apprenticeships and higher education, is available at the following website: www.arbeitsagentur.de.