Join the Game : Un jeu sur les femmes inspirantes

Discover JOIN THE GAME - an urban game about inspiring women!

Friday, 31 March 2023

The JOIN THE GAME partnership publishes the first result of its project: guidelines for the organisation of an urban game to help girls and young women challenge gender stereotypes in their professional careers.

The aim of the first intellectual output was to develop, together with youth workers, the structure of a simple and universal tool that can be used in the work with young people: a prototype of an urban game to encourage girls and young women to try male-dominated professions and thus improve their situation in the labour market.

The latest figures published by Eurostat show that women in Europe are still heavily over-represented in professions considered "feminine", such as childcare, nursing, teaching, etc. In contrast, women make up only 1% of construction workers and are also underrepresented in roles such as mechanics, electricians, and truck drivers. Furthermore, the science and technology industry remains male-dominated, with only 16% of workers in artificial intelligence being women in the EU and the UK.

The under-representation of women in various fields and the rigid division of roles that exists in our societies is also reflected in the fact that in 2021, two thirds of European employees were under the management of male bosses (EWCTS 2021), while a recent study conducted by the University of Zurich revealed that men tend to leave professions where women become more numerous. The results of the study suggest that gender segregation is not only due to gender-related occupational characteristics, but also to the fact that men (and women) consciously or unconsciously avoid working in mixed gender jobs.

It is crucial for women to continue breaking into new professions to improve their standing in the labour market, gain greater economic independence, and create more opportunities for future generations. JOIN THE GAME supports this effort via an innovative framework: an urban game that highlights the accomplishments of women who have achieved significant success in their professional lives. In addition, our framework includes a cheat sheet for creating safe spaces conducive to trying new things. Our results are available in English, French, Croatian, Polish, and Spanish.

Moving forward, the project will concentrate on broadening the game instructions to enable greater customization of the gaming experience to meet the unique requirements of specific groups and address additional needs. The game toolkit will also be enhanced by providing more detailed information on the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in organizing and playing the game. In addition, audio-visual material will be created to showcase the experiences of women employed in male-dominated professions.