The National Museum of Science and Technology takes initiatives for equality

Here at Djurgården we cherish equality and always strive to create a more equal society. During the autumn holidays 2021, the National Museum of Science and Technology organizes a programming course for mothers and daughters in order to contribute to a more equal technology industry. We are very proud of the initiative and this article aims to explain how initiatives like this creates a more sustainable society.

In the museum’s programming course, mothers and daughters in middle school learn about coding, source criticism and algorithms. The purpose of the course is to increase the mothers’ understanding of their daughters’ interest in technology and encourage them to apply for entry in technical education in the future. The course is also intended to increase children’s awareness of how things work on the internet as well as strengthen source-critical thinking. Through this initiative, the museum wants to reach groups from the outskirts of the suburban areas, groups that they usually do not reach. By reaching these target groups, the hope is that their visitors will make up a more multifaceted group.

The programming course is an initiative to get more women to keep up their technical interest through studies and work. Women are under-represented in the technology industry and this initiative seeks to create the conditions for a more sustainable future with more equality within the technology industry.

The National Museum of Science and Technology has been located at Djurgården since 1936 and has from the beginning been a pioneer in advocating technical success and innovation. For us at Djurgården, the museum is an important player in our quest to become an innovation arena. The museum’s initiative is linked to Djurgården’s work with sustainability, where we follow Agenda 2030 and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We link this initiative with the global goals of Reducing Inequality, Good Education and Sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure. By getting more young women to take the step to seek a technical education and work within the industry, another of society’s inequalities can be erased. Creating greater understanding and knowledge about women’s interest in stepping into a male-dominated industry provides the conditions to be able to offer everyone a good education. With more women in the industry, new ideas and innovations can be created which will lead to a more sustainable industry.

FUN FACT: Did you know that Sweden’s first female engineer was Vera Sandberg? She started at Chalmers in 1914 as a special student – the only female student among 500 male students. She graduated in 1917 at the age of 22.