Women in Information and Communication Technologies and How to Attract Them

The paper considers the problem of increasing the number of women in the Information and Communication technologies (ICT) profession and how to attract them to make better use of women's potential. EU and Bulgarian policies and activities for enhancing the number of women in the ICT sector were explored. A questionnaire was designed and the results from the survey among the students from three secondary schools are presented and analysed in the paper. The male and female student ratio in the ICT courses at University of Ruse for the last six years was explored. The performance of male and female students from the three degree courses is presented. Conclusions and recommendations for enhancing the attractiveness of an ICT career among the young women are made.