Girls4Tech was held this Saturday, with the participation of 75 girls aged nine to 13 

Banco Santander is joining Mastercard to foster Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills among young girls and thus bridge the existing gender digital divide. To this end, last Saturday it held the Girls4Tech digital event, in which 75 daughters of group employees aged 9 to 13 took part.

The event, titled “Juntas damos forma al futuro” (Shaping the future together), was attended by Alexandra Brandao, global head of HR, and Isabel Guerreiro, digital head of Europe. Its goal is to bring young girls closer to STEM professions, which will be generating the most jobs in the coming years. 

The global head of Human Resources encouraged the girls to continue to discover and change the world by making the most of all the options available to them:  "It's very important for you to see that there's a wide world of possibilities, for you to find out about the interesting jobs that are available in life and, most importantly, for you to have confidence in yourself and fulfil your dreams".

Ana María Gálvez, from Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, remarked that her daughter "discovered a new world and ended up saying that she wanted to be a scientist. These initiatives are essential for girls to know that there's a beautiful world for them featuring technology and science where they can develop their talents".

Ana García Rama, from the Tax Advisory unit, said: "My daughter found it very enjoyable and it made her curious about new avenues for her future. I believe these initiatives to promote technology among our daughters are very much needed and welcome".

According to the OECD, some 390,000 jobs will be created in Spain in connection with these technical professions by 2022, and there is a high risk of discrimination due to the small number of women pursuing careers in technology.

According to the latest report released by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, titled “Científicas en Cifras” (Women Scientists in Figures), even though more than 50% of university students are women, only very few of them are completing degrees in scientific areas such as physics and engineering. Women account for just 28% of university students pursuing STEM degrees in Spain.  

Mastercard created the training programme Girls4Tech in 2014 with the aim of inspiring girls around the world and making them trust in their chances of building the professional career they dream of, including STEM jobs. Its target is to reach one million girls by 2025.