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Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship
Start date: Sep 1, 2016, End date: Aug 31, 2019 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Unfortunately, the disruptive power of new digital technologies appears to be limited to technology and business models and has not yet impacted the issue of gender diversity. Digital entrepreneurship and the media industry are faced by a stagnation of women in leadership positions and the continued depletion of female technology talent. For the digital economy to truly reach its potential, the gender imbalance must be confronted and addressed at all levels of the society. Higher Educational Programs are important social and economic change agents towards gender equality and diversity. The primary goal of the project is therefore to develop a master programme curriculum for digital entrepreneurship in application of innovative gender mainstreaming approaches. Gender sensitive approaches are of utmost importance to secure that digital goods and services are designed inclusively for the specific needs and gendered preferences of women and men, and that women are equally present and represented in the digital economy to tap its positive potential in social change and sustainable growth. Taking into consideration findings from feminist (media) economics, entrepreneurship and information systems on the gendered structures of entrepreneurship and information systems, the project aims to contribute to the successful innovation and commercialization of digital goods and services and the creation of businesses that will enact gender equality at all levels of the society and economy. More specifically, the project team will start with market research on established programs tackling aspects of digital entrepreneurship and how they approach gender dimensions. Next, a gap analysis will be carried out to identify critical needs in learning objectives, digital and gender competences. On these grounds, the project partners will design the high-level structure of the EQUALdigitalent curriculum. Building on this structure the respective modules will be defined and described including the elaboration of innovative physical and virtual course materials. In parallel, didactical guidelines on engendering, enhancing and practicing digital skills in each module and across subjects will be developed. Once module descriptions are available, the project partners will select one or two modules that are especially prone for testing and evaluating the effectiveness of raising awareness for gender issues while acquiring and implementing theoretical knowledge of digital entrepreneurship. The chosen module will then be tested in the form of electives and further educational courses. Findings from these test-runs will be used for final improvements of the curriculum for digital entrepreneurship. The main deliverables of the project comprise a fully engendered reference curriculum for digital entrepreneurship including didactical guidelines, physical and virtual course material. Furthermore, learnings and findings from the test-runs will be shared with the scientific community and other stakeholders such as political institutions, firms and other interested parties. Results will be delivered in the forms of reports, academic paper and presentations, national and international workshops and broader media coverage.The project will be carried out by a consortium of the University of Liechtenstein (applicant), the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR), the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and the Catholic Social Academy of Austria (KSOE). All organizations promote gender equality and diversity in their own organizations including teaching and training offerings. The consortium was established on 1) the shared values and understanding of the importance of gender equality and diversity, 2) the skills, competences and available resources to create an attractive program for a fully engendered digital entrepreneurship curriculum, and 3) the diversity in organizations addressing both higher education (Universities) and further vocational trainings, e.g. addressing digital skill needs of women aiming for self-employment (Catholic Social Academy). The key participants (Dr. Barbara Fuchs: Uni Lie, Prof. Heike Wiesner and Prof. M. Tomenendal (HWR Berlin), Prof. Andrea Grisold (WU) and Mag.a Margit Appel (KSOE) all have vast experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of higher educational curricula and programs and contribute expert knowledge in their specific disciplines including business administration, entrepreneurship, economics, information systems, digital technologies and political science. Education and training are key to empower women in the digital age and to foster a society with future viability. Thus, the project is designed to have a strong impact on the higher education in the field of entrepreneurship by training and enabling female and male student to become leading digital entrepreneurs and to commit themselves to the closing of the existing gender gap in the digital economy.

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