Despite growing demand for digital skills, women remain underrepresented in ICT and STEM fields. Belgium has responded with ambitious policy initiatives, which are translated into practice by organisations such as Interface3.Europe faces a paradox. While demand for digital skills continues to accelerate, women remain significantly underrepresented in sectors driving this growth.Under the Digital Decade framework, the EU aims to reach 20 million ICT specialists by 2030, reflecting the scale of this demand. Yet despite strong career prospects and high-quality employment opportunities, only one in three STEM graduates and two in 10 ICT specialists are women. Overall, they account for just 17% of ICT jobs in the European Union.These disparities are not simply a pipeline issue. According to the Gender Equality Index 2025 and research from the European Institute for Gender Equality, women face a combination of visible and invisible barriers, including multiple care responsibilities, rigid training and recruitment processes, lack of role models and internalised self-doubt shaped by societal expectations.Ghislaine Ihirwe (pictured above), legal advisor at the Belgian FPS Economy, explains: “The difficulty lies in the fact that these barriers are deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Breaking this cycle requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach.”National ambitions to close the digital gender gapAlthough Belgium performs slightly above the European average, only 19.4% of IT specialists in the country are women. Ihirwe notes that women’s participation in the ICT sector in Belgium is progressing, but that it remains insufficient. “We observe a stronger female presence in certain digital-related roles, particularly in support functions, communication or project management,” she says. “However, women remain underrepresented in more technical roles such as software development, cybersecurity or artificial intelligence.”Belgium has taken steps to address this imba