Conference Agenda

This research investigates how telework impacts work-life balance for women in Colombia and Ecuador, focusing on the respect for their right to digital disconnection. Despite regulatory advances, women face challenges such as increased workload and blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. This research employs a mixed methods approach to analyze teleworking's impact on women compared to men. A questionnaire with nine constructs was used, covering behavioral changes, health risks, and boundary management. The survey, distributed via digital platforms, utilized a Likert scale and included an optional open-ended question for qualitative insights. The study surveyed 146 participants (57 men, 87 women). Men averaged 40 hours/week (SD 7.5) while women with greater variability averaged 38 hours/week (SD 12). Both genders have fixed salaries, but women often telework during emergencies and report longer workdays with increased health risks and distractions. Women also assume more household responsibilities, impacting their work-life balance. The analysis identified five boundary management styles, with significant differences in how telework affects men and women, revealing that women face more pronounced challenges. Finally, this study highlights that telework significantly impacts women, extending their workday and adding dual responsibilities from home and work. Despite shared household duties, women face greater challenges with productivity perceptions and boundary control. Interventions such as time management training and flexible policies are suggested to address these issues. This research emphasizes the importance of tailored strategies for different boundary management styles and calls for further research incorporating diverse perspectives and data sources to validate these findings

In the context of improving quality of life and inclusion, the development and implementation of technologies aimed at assisting people with visual impairment has emerged as an area of interest and is constantly evolving. The objective of this article is to review the technologies implemented worldwide that facilitate the mobility of individuals with visual impairment in outdoor environments. To achieve this objective, the PRISMA methodology was employed, and variables such as the study environment, platform/device utilized, sensors and components, services and APIs, among others, were established. The analysis of the selected research revealed a trend towards the use of assisted technologies, image processing, and machine learning. Furthermore, it was recommended that future work include the implementation of artificial intelligence and the creation of open-source environments to encourage greater community involvement in the development process. It was determined that the majority of the proposals analyzed are oriented towards the individual, rather than the social level. Consequently, the necessity to adapt these solutions to the specific social context of Colombia is emphasized.

Research provides evidence and methodologies to evaluate the efficiency of actions in favor of gender equality in engineering. The Matilda and Women in Engineering Chair (CAL-Matilda) created the Research Committee (RC) to support these actions. This article focuses on grouping and analyzing the 36 publications of members of the RC in the first 3 years since the creation of the committee. The contributions consist of investigating the trends, challenges and opportunities in the promotion of gender equality in the engineering field in Latin America and the Caribbean. The findings show that adapting international models to local realities is crucial to achieve gender equality in STEM. The conclusions underline the importance of continuing to develop inclusive policies and programs that promote equality, suggesting that the next steps should focus on evaluating these long-term interventions and expanding successful strategies to other areas. These results highlight the relevance of continuing to research to support the decisions that promote gender equality in engineering in the region.

Entrepreneurship has become increasingly important in Ecuador, and university students play a crucial role in fostering this culture. This analytical-descriptive study focuses on evaluating the entrepreneurial profile of electrical engineering students at the Universidad Bolivariana del Ecuador. Using a methodology that includes literature review, statistical analysis and a closed questionnaire of 25 questions, the study evaluates seven entrepreneurial traits: motivation, initiative, and personal energy, psychological profile, relational capacity, analytical capacity, innovation and creativity, and propensity for risk. The results reveal that key areas have average scores below the optimal level, indicating the need to strengthen these skills to improve students' employability in a challenging labour market.