For a variety of professional careers and life paths
LEARNTEC 2025: Interview with Dr. Kerstin Bäcker on Inspiring Girls - Female Empowerment through Role Models
#werdewasduwillst - under this hashtag, the non-profit organization Inspiring Girls brings girls aged 10 to 16 together with inspiring women from a wide range of professions, opening up new perspectives for them that go beyond clichés. In an interview with Dr. Kerstin Bäcker, project manager at Inspiring Girls, we talked about role models and diversity, and why it is about time to overcome gender boundaries in career guidance.
What motivated you personally to get involved with Inspiring Girls Deutschland e.V. alongside your work as a lawyer and partner in a boutique law firm for copyright and media law?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: Strengthening the position of girls and women in our society has been on my mind for many years. There are far too few female voices in the legal profession and in media companies, especially at decision-making and management level. When I heard about the work of Inspiring Girls, I thought it was a really great initiative because it starts very early and in a very practical way to show young girls that they can achieve anything and can - and should - find their place even in heavily male-dominated fields.
What long-term impact do you hope the work of Inspiring Girls in Germany will have?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: The special feature of Inspiring Girls is that we go into schools to talk to female role models in person to encourage 10 to 16-year-old girls that anything can be open to them professionally, that paths do not have to be straightforward and that they should never be discouraged. Inspiring Girls is therefore intended to encourage young girls to believe in themselves and stand up for their independence and autonomy throughout their lives and careers. Our hashtag #bewhatyouwant speaks for itself. We want to reach as many girls as possible with this message and thus penetrate society bit by bit.
What obstacles or prejudices do girls still face today when they are interested in a career in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences or technology?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: Although girls are no longer a rarity in these professions, they unfortunately still encounter reservations that they are not up to the challenges in strongly male-dominated fields. This is due to a lack of positive examples and experiences and is therefore more common than in professions in which women are already more strongly represented, such as doctors.
How does the association succeed in actively challenging and breaking down clichés about “typically male” or “typically female” professions?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: The idea is to break down stereotypes by showing girls that women can also be successful in male-dominated professions. Female role models prove to girls that fearlessness, courage and perseverance pay off and that all professions are open to them. We encourage them to believe in themselves and to aim high.
You are committed to a society in which girls and women are equal and courageous players - how far along this path do you think we are?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go - as the current composition of elected representatives in the German Bundestag, for example, clearly shows, which does not represent the proportion of women in society: Only 32.4% are women - the proportion of women has actually fallen by 2.3 percentage points compared to 2021.
What would have to change in our education system to enable real equality in career guidance?
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker: A fundamental step in the education system in general would be to ensure sufficient and comprehensive childcare so that women can work full-time if they wish and do not fall into the part-time trap due to a lack of sufficient and financially viable childcare options.
There should also be greater systematic integration of gender-sensitive career guidance from middle school onwards: Teachers should be sensitized to gender-specific stereotypes and receive further training in order to actively address and dismantle these in the classroom. In addition, the development and use of teaching materials that question role models and show diverse job profiles beyond traditional gender classifications could be promoted. Finally, mandatory internships in different professional fields would be helpful to give students an insight into non-gender-stereotypical professions.
With our work at Inspiring Girls Deutschland e. V., we are setting strong and sustainable accents to broaden the professional horizons of girls (and boys).
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At LEARNTEC, Dr. Kerstin Bäcker will also be giving a presentation on this topic entitled “Presenting Inspiring Girls” (May 8, 10 a.m.).
