Conference Agenda

There is a well-documented gender gap in STEM fields globally. Despite the efforts, women remain underrepresented in several disciplines, including most engineering fields. Regarding labor insertion, employability, and earnings, several studies have shown disparities between women and men. The purpose of this study is to investigate the employability and earnings of early-career engineers from several disciplines.

Para las mujeres avanzar hacia puestos de liderazgo en las empresas todavía está lleno de obstáculos. En muchos casos se enfrentan ideas preconcebidas sobre lo que deben hacer o ser, además faltan mentores o mentoras que las guíen y la exclusión de redes importantes que facilitan el crecimiento profesional. También enfrentan desafíos en su día a día laboral, como salarios más bajos y roles tradicionales que las limitan. Todo esto hace que haya muy pocas mujeres en los cargos más altos, lo que afecta la justicia y la igualdad en las organizaciones.

Desde una perspectiva organizacional, el presente estudio analiza las implicancias de la falta de diversidad en los niveles directivos y su impacto en la innovación, productividad y competitividad empresarial. A nivel social, se busca explorar la forma de superar estas barreras que contribuiría a disminuir la subordinación de género y fortalecer la equidad en el ámbito laboral. El presente trabajo propone identificar y categorizar estas barreras con el fin de desarrollar estrategias que promuevan la inclusión, y fomenten un entorno más equitativo en las organizaciones.

In recent decades, engineering has served as a strategic pillar for technological advancement and global development. However, its transformative potential remains constrained by a persistent gender gap that limits women's participation. Numerous studies have documented the existence of systemic barriers, including gender stereotypes, the absence of female professional role models, and restrictive sociocultural norms, all of which negatively affect women's access, retention, and professional advancement in this field. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to analyse the main obstacles hindering women's participation in engineering careers by identifying and synthesizing the social, educational, and cultural factors contributing to this disparity. To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, based on searches in the Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore databases. The inclusion criteria focused on empirical studies published between 2019 and 2024 that address women's participation in engineering from social and educational perspectives. After applying rigorous selection filters, 46 articles were included for analysis. The findings indicate that gender stereotypes, biased pedagogical practices, the limited visibility of female role models, and exclusionary institutional dynamics remain key determinants of the underrepresentation of women in engineering. Consequently, the study underscores the need for structural transformations in both educational systems and professional environments to foster equitable conditions that enable the full and sustained participation of women in this field.

This study examines the participation and leadership of women students involved in Research Seedbed in two programs and universities in Cali: Industrial Engineering (UNIMINUTO) and Technology in Information Systems and Software (Universidad Santiago de Cali, USC). A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design combined surveys (n = 120) and semi-structured interviews (n = 24) to estimate participation metrics, characterize academic and sociocultural barriers, and assess the perceived effectiveness of institutional strategies aimed at closing gaps. Results indicate that participation increases with academic progression; leadership roles are heterogeneously distributed, with greater presence in coordination and project lead positions; and barriers cluster around academic workload, inflexible schedules, and the presence of biases/microaggressions. Formal mentorship, personalized tutoring, and incentives/scholarships are associated with improvements in retention and continued engagement in research groups. Interpretation is grounded in frameworks on motivation, communal goal congruity, implicit bias, and organizational culture. Building on these results, we prioritize actions: strengthening mentorship with female role models; increasing curricular and scheduling flexibility; consolidating psychosocial support pathways; and reinforcing protocols addressing discrimination. The study provides comparable UNIMINUTO–USC indicators and a baseline for longitudinal monitoring and evaluation of academic performance and professional placement.

The inequality dynamics in the Latin American technological entrepreneurial ecosystem demonstrate the persistence of systemic barriers that limit female access to leadership positions in technology-based startups. This study examines the implicit exclusion mechanisms that shape the "digital glass ceiling" through a mixed analysis involving 847 female engineers across 12 countries in the region, with special emphasis on El Salvador where it was documented that only 8.3% of technology startups have women as principal co-founders. Through digital ethnographic methodology, professional social network analysis, and in-depth interviews with 156 ecosystem protagonists, four critical dimensions were identified: algorithmic micromachisms in funding platforms (evidenced by the 3% of venture capital allocated to female founders), unconscious biases in executive selection processes, precariousness in business mentorship networks, and asymmetries in the valuation of technical versus relational competencies. In the Salvadoran context, where 64% of microenterprises are led by women but only 12% access technological financing, the findings reveal that barriers transcend quantitative aspects to constitute a phenomenon of cultural invisibilization of female leadership in high-innovation sectors. An inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem framework is proposed that integrates affirmative financing policies, debiasing protocols in venture capital, and culturally situated technological mentorship platforms for the region.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the European Chips Skills Academy's (ECSA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework and the European Chips Diversity Alliance (ECDA), a €1.5 million programme funded by the EU EACEA (2024–2027). The present study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating a survey of 74 industry and academic stakeholders, executive interviews, and focus groups, in order to identify the primary motivators for DEI adoption (namely, talent retention, recruitment, reputation, and regulatory compliance), the key priority dimensions (i.e. gender balance, age, skills, and racial/ethnic diversity), and the pivotal enablers and barriers to implementation. The work delineates three distinct project stages: firstly, a baseline assessment, followed by tool and training development, and finally pilot deployment, which is supported by continuous monitoring through an Excel-based DEI matrix and automated dashboards. The findings indicate a strong engagement in gender equity and employee experience initiatives. Nevertheless, the report also draws attention to the fact that there are still significant challenges in relation to goal-setting, resource allocation and data analytics. The paper concludes with strategic recommendations to scale DEI practices, including annual role model updates, expansion of the Spark Excellence Awards, integration of operational toolkits into curricula, and policy advocacy to institutionalize sustainable DEI practices across Europe's microelectronics education and innovation ecosystem. This study emphasises the pivotal function of systematic DEI strategies in fortifying women's leadership, promoting gender equity, and cultivating inclusive talent development within the domains of STEM and microelectronics.