Brussels region launches campaign against stereotyped career choices

Brussels region’s secretary of state for equal opportunities, Bianca Debaets, has joined with the regional business federation BECI to launch a programme aimed at tackling gender stereotypes in choice of career.

According to research, young people in Brussels tend to make career choices along broadly stereotypical lines. “There may well be girls who want to become a plumber or an IT consultant but don’t dare to say so because our society stereotypes these as jobs for men,” Debaets said. “I want to encourage an interest in the less typical jobs, as well as those jobs where vacancies are hard to fill.”

The programme, called Mijn job is mijn keuze (My Job is My Choice) will be run with BECI’s diversity office, which handles problems of gender in industry. The programme will start next month with a search for schools willing to take part and mentors to guide the students. There will be a website and social media campaign, as well as a study day for teachers and career guidance professionals.

Photo by Ingimage