Panel discussion, followed by a screening of the Mongolian film "The Eagle Huntress"

 On International Women’s Day 2017, the EBRD invited alumni to “Breaking Stereotypes: Paving the Way to Equality” – a discussion event on the challenges and barriers women face to access employment in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Data shows that the gender gap won’t close before 2186. Despite significant progress in female labour force participation over the past 25 years, persistent gender differences remain across sectors and jobs. In particular, the panel discussed major challenges faced by female professionals entering non-traditional sectors, such as energy and construction.

The panellists - Pins Brown, Associate Director at Ergon Associates, Francis Gugen, Founder & Non-Executive Chairman at IGas Energy and Ambassador at POWERful Women, and Charlotte Mitchell, Senior Urban Planner at Quod and Co-ordinator at Urbanistas - tackled issues of industry competitiveness and the need to attract and retain a pool of diverse and innovative employees. The discussion will make time for comments and questions from the audience.

After the discussion,  a screening of the film “The Eagle Huntress” took place -  the story of a young girl’s dream of becoming the first female to enter the Golden Eagle Competition in Mongolia.