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World Congress 2026 Europe - Virtual Stage • Jul 3, 2026 • Session details

Why Eastern Europe Has More Women Developers — and What the West Can Learn

Adela Georgescu

Why does Eastern Europe retain more women developers? Discover how building psychological safety and shattering the awkward genius stereotype can finally fix your retention crisis.

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#1 about 3 min

Understanding retention versus recruitment for women in technology

Discovering why women who already chose computer science decide to stay or leave the industry.

#2 about 2 min

Overcoming imposter syndrome and feelings of isolation in engineering

Women often leave tech due to a lack of psychological safety and belonging rather than incapability.

#3 about 2 min

Dismantling the media stereotype of the antisocial coding genius

Diversifying the image of a software engineer helps people realize they do not need a specific personality to belong.

#4 about 2 min

Building psychological safety for students asking technical questions publicly

Anonymous forums protect against stereotype threat but miss opportunities to showcase active knowledge and engagement.

#5 about 3 min

Emphasizing early mathematical foundations to build technical educational confidence

Eastern European education systems maintain broad technical curricula longer, providing students with stronger foundational skills before university.

#6 about 2 min

Addressing the uneven educational background of first-year informatics students

Pre-existing exposure to algorithms creates confidence gaps that are often mistaken for differences in natural talent.

#7 about 2 min

Analyzing statistical gender gaps among computer science students globally

Data shows higher female participation in technical fields in countries like Romania compared to Western nations.

#8 about 4 min

Historical factors normalizing technical careers for women in engineering

Economic necessity and state policies under communism historically positioned engineering as a practical, gender-neutral path to independence.

#9 about 3 min

Removing the false dichotomy of intelligence and feminine presentation

Challenging prejudices allows individuals to express their personal style without their technical abilities being questioned.

#10 about 3 min

Fostering persistence and resilience during difficult academic technical challenges

Accepting struggle as a normal part of learning computer science prevents early exit when facing complex subjects.

#11 about 3 min

Prioritizing human relationships and community to prevent talent isolation

Workplace connections and informal communities are just as vital as salary in preventing engineers from leaving unsupportive environments.

#12 about 2 min

Promoting collaborative study groups to ease academic mental exhaustion

Creating study groups provides diverse perspectives and reduces the mental burden of learning complex concepts alone.

#13 about 3 min

Providing visible role models to normalize women in technology

Early exposure to female mentors and ordinary engineering environments helps establish technical careers as a natural path.

#14 about 3 min

Developing mentorship and collaboration skills in senior software engineers

Teaching experienced developers how to support juniors creates resilient teams that retain diverse talent effectively.

#15 about 2 min

Building environments where technological diversity feels completely ordinary today

Creating spaces organically rooted in belonging eliminates the need to constantly convince underrepresented groups they belong.

Matching moments

2:49 min

How regional cultures influence female participation in tech

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

4:30 min

Overcoming engineered biases to achieve equal technology representation

Brenda Romero Brenda Romero · LIVE

3:42 min

Addressing educational gaps and retaining early female technological talent

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

1:39 min

Rewriting the historical narrative of women in technology

Babette Wagner Babette Wagner · Coffee With Developers

3:09 min

Introduction and perspective on the gender gap

Katrin Rabow Katrin Rabow · Europe 2026 Virtual

3:15 min

Understanding different technical career motivations across diverse gender groups

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

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