ARTICLE

OLGA PAVLIDOU KOUTROUMPIS

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT OF

LEGAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS

COMMISSION OF EUW

4/2/20192019THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ..................................2

A. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 4TH REVOLUTION ...............................................................2

B. IMPLICATIONS .........................................................................................……………………3

C. EUROPE AND 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ..............................................................4

II. 4th INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - PROBLEMS WILL OCCUR IN WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT..................................................................................................................4

A. WORKERS WILL INVEST IN TRAINING AND LIFELONG LEARNING...................................5

B. GREAT DEMAND FOR STEM SCIENCES ...........................................................................5

C.INCREASE IN GENDER INEQUALITY GAP IN TECHNOLOGY

D. WOMEN UNDERESTIMATE THEIR SKILLS IN THE WORKING AREA .................................5

E. POTENTIAL ENLARGEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY ........................................................6

II. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - TALENTS & SKILLS……......................................................................6 A. ADMINISTRATIVE MODEL PREFERRED BY WOMEN MANAGERS..................................6

B. EFFICIENT WAY OF ADMINISTRATION .............................................................................6

C. EMPOWERING WOMEN PARTICIPATION ........................................................................7

D. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES

IV. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S MEMBERS’ RESOLUTION…………………………………….7

V.CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…8

VI.EPILOGUE……………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

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I. INTRODUCTION TO THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION The first industrial revolution changed the life and economy from an agricultural and craft economy into an industry-driven and machine-building economy. Oil and electricity have facilitated mass production in the 2nd Industrial Revolution. In the 3rd Industrial Revolution, IT was used to automate production.Although every industrial revolution is a separate fact, we can better understand them if we consider them as a series of historical facts based on innovations that lead to advanced forms of production. We are at the beginning of a technological revolution that will fundamentally change the way we live and work. The 4th Industrial Revolution, as it was named by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive president of the World Economic Forum, describes a world where people move between a real and digital environment who should learn it and manage it for their benefitThe changes brought by the 4th Industrial Revolution will bring changes in power, knowledge, shifts in wealth. Only if we know the changes of this new era and the speed at which these changes will be made can benefit from them. The 4th Industrial Revolution creates enormous challenges and opportunities.

TABLE: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS (1)

PERIOD

PERIOD TRANSITION

ENERGY SOURCE

MAJOR TERCHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

I: 1760-1900

1860-1900 COAL STEAM ENGINE TEXTILE INDUSTRYSTEEL

TRAINS

II:1900-1960

1940-1960 PETROLEUM

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

METALLURGY, AUTOMATION, MACHINERY

TRAINSCARS

III:1960-2000

1980-2000 NUCLEAR ENERGYNATURAL GAS

COMPUTER, ROBOT, CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY

AUTOMATION, CHEMISTRY

AEROPLANES

IV: 2000-

2000-2010 GREEN ENERGY

3D PRINTERS, GENETIC MECHANICAL DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

HIGH TECH INDUSTRIES

HIGH SPEED ELECTRIC CARS

A. CHARACTERISTICS OF 4 TH REVOLUTION 1. Technological innovation will lead to a miracle, with long-term benefits to consumer demand and supply and productivity of high-quality products, but also to the creation of new jobs and underemployment.

2. The McKinsey Global Institute 2017 study showed that in the long run, automation will boost productivity growth by up to 1.4% per year. (2)

3. New jobs will be created, new sectors, new products & new services, new markets.

4. A new working environment will be created: new forms of worker / machine interaction.

5. Transport and communication costs will be reduced, logistics will become more efficient, and overall trade costs will be reduced, creating new markets that will lead to economic growth.___________________________________________________________

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(1) Source: Prisecaru, P. (2016). "Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution." Knowledge Horizons(2) Source: Report McKinsey Global Institute January 2017

6. Innovative business models will be developed and implemented.

7. Progress in information and communication technologies (i.e. the internet, mobile telephony, social media, etc.) will make communication easier, faster and wider by providing access to information at all levels (local, regional, national and international).

8. By developing digital platforms, workers will be able to work from home using their working time as they wish offering their work to different countries.

9. Digitization will help services and health (e-health, e-services, etc.)

10. Most innovations are being carried out in the energy sector, as renewable energy leads to growth (3)

11. Low-skilled and low-wage jobs will be replaced by computers and digitized.

12. Robotics is the new technology, that attempts to simulate human intelligence algorithmically and to reproduce human intelligence for the production of work in industries by numerical models.

13. Lifelong learning and training should be continuous for employees.

14. New ways of teaching arise that focus on different learning styles. Alternative curricula are constantly being developed.

15. According to World Bank study, students that are currently in the Elementary school, in the future will work in works that are not yet exist.

B. IMPLICATIONS

But innovation and technological progress must focus in the needs of humanity, "said Klaus Schwab, founder and president of the World Economic Forum (WEF). While there are many benefits from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there are several key challenges that must be faced in the right time.

1.The revolution will lead to greater inequality disrupting labor markets, as automation is replacing the workforce across the economy.

2. The fourth industrial revolution requires more cyber security. Companies and not only will need to map their networks, assessing the risk and critical security-related factors.

3. Digitization will strengthen the great inequality that exists today in a world where many states and regions have not yet passed through the second and / or third industrial revolution.

4. Robotics and artificial intelligence can affect unique human values such as sensitivity, creativity, inspiration.

5. Automation can lead to boredom

6. A major challenge with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which did not receive the appropriate attention at the Davos World Economic Forum conference, is the need to emphasize and prioritize the technological developments that have the most beneficial effects on society and the economy

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__________________________________________________________________________ (3) Source: European Patent Office 2017

(4) Source: Prisecaru, P. (2016). "Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution." Knowledge Horizons

C. EUROPE AND 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Europe is moving towards a more digitized society and economy. The 4th Industrial Revolution brings higher levels of automation and data exchange in industry and improves production processes. Industry is considered the backbone of the European Economy. It provides 32 million jobs to more than 2 million businesses, including about 13 million jobs in a high-tech growing industry and about 60 million additional jobs in affiliated services. Industry in the EU-28 occupies 16.1% of GDP for 2016. (5)In Europe, Germany is distinguished in the fields of application of Vehicles, Infrastructure and Industry, while France in technologies related to Artificial Intelligence, Safety, User Interfaces and 3D Systems. Regarding the regions, the wider region of Paris (Île-de-France) and the wider region of Munich (Oberbayern) are the top European locations in 4IR technologies. (6)

The 4th Industrial Revolution, is an important area of interest for the EU and its institutions. In particular, the European Commission has carried out a research on innovation and strategy development in connection with the 4th Industrial Revolution. Based on the results of this survey, the following are proposed:

In-depth analysis of the problems arising from the 4th Industrial Revolution as well as emerging opportunities.

Promote new education and training programs and lifelong learning in factories. Establishment of a European Industrial Skills Council. Create a relevant legislative framework. Develop actions and encourage synergies aimed at implementing policies such as the

establishment of the Industrial Skills Council which aims to balance supply and demand for labor market skills.

II. 4th INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - PROBLEMS WILL OCCUR IN WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT

These developments will surely have a strong impact on the citizens as a whole but also on the women who represent 52% of the population. Unfortunately, as reported in the World Economic Forum Tribune Report, it is not expected to close the gap earlier than 2133. That is 117 Years from today and many generations away.

A. WORKERS WILL INVEST IN TRAINING AND LIFELONG LEARNING.

Flexibility in work should be accompanied by the growing need for education, training and development of new skills and competences to meet the challenges of the new world of work. It is a fact that, when digitization is discussed, it is discussed in a gender-neutral way with regard to the issue of training and lifelong learning. For women, continuous lifelong learning and training needed to be able to work in a constantly changing work environment is quite difficult when they have to continue to do their job in addition with the family duties.

Because continuing education is seen as an inevitable consequence of the digital revolution, we could still expect the "ideal labor rule" to be further extended. In the digital work environment, the "ideal worker" can not only work full-time and meet the needs of the employer, but also receive continuous training. Since men have more time than women to invest in training and lifelong learning, such a working rule can aggravate gender inequality in the digital work environment.The PwC research refers that in Greece the 35% of works in Industry,23% in Commerse,20% in Health,3%in Education and 25% in Constructing Business will change. __________________________________________________________________________

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(5) Source: Eurostat. GDP percentage of total, industry breakdowns. 10.1.2018(6) Source: EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

B. GREAT DEMAND FOR STEM SCIENCES

Positive Sciences, Technology and Technical Sciences, Mathematics (STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) are the most demanding sectors in the labor market. However, the number of women studying and / or working, shows that women are underrepresented in these areas. The reason is that women are often discouraged from studying STEM or from computer science because they feel that men are more likely to be in these areas.For example, in OECD countries, at the age of 15, fewer than 5% of girls think they will follow professionally in the field of technical sciences and technology wider than 18% of boys.

"On Facebook and Google, women employees are the 1/3 of the company's payroll, but only 16% of Facebook's technical posts and 18% on Google are owned by female engineers and only 10% on Twitter. These numbers are the norm in the whole industry - in Europe, only 7% of engineering positions are held by women "(7)

In Europe, only 9% of the developers are women, while the leading women in the IT and communications sector are only 19% (compared with 45% in other service sectors). Similarly, female entrepreneurs account for only 19% of entrepreneurs (compared with 54% in other sectors) (8)

Worldwide, the percentage of women participating in jobs not related to the Technology Sector is 52%, while the percentage of men is 48%. In positions in the Technology sector, the percentage of women participating is 20% while male participation is 80%.

C. INCREASE IN GENDER INEQUALITY GAP IN TECHNOLOGY

In 2013, the male and female gender gap in internet accessibility was 200 million, while in 2016 it grew to 350 million. (9)

Restricted access to science and technology prevents women from training and changing their living conditions.

In Greece, the use of new technologies and the consumption of digital services are among the few areas where there is no gender inequality or gender gaps. The digital services / products offered by public administration, businesses, electronic transactions, the internet - as a main source of information - and presence on social networks are equally utilized by women and men. (10)

D. WOMEN UNDERESTIMATE THEIR SKILLS IN THEIR WORK

Surveys from Columbia University underline that while men tend to overestimate their skills by about 30%, women tend to underestimate their own skills. But when it comes to success, employees need to have confidence for their abilities and self-esteem to turn their ideas into work.__________________________________________________________________________

(5) Source: Eurostat. GDP percentage of total, industry breakdowns. 10.1.2018(6) Source: EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE(7) Source: FISH, Grace. Women in Technology: Ways to Close the Gender Gap. www.techchange.org.(8) Source: European Parliament Report on gender equality and empowering women in the digital age(9) Source: UNESCO/ITU Broadband commission.(10) Source: HELLENIC RESEARCH OF THE ASSOCIATION OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS COMPANIES IN GREECE

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E. POTENTIAL ENLARGEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY

According to the Gender Industry Report 2016, WEF (World Economic Forum), the burden of job losses resulting from automation and mediation as a result of the 4th Industrial Revolution will affect 48% of women and 52% of men. However, the fact that women make up a smaller proportion of the labor force means that the current economic gap between the sexes may be even more widespread than the current 40%. Extending the gender gap can be explained by the fact that many of the jobs that are automated are mostly women's jobs, but also because women are under-represented in the STEM sciences, which are expected to have the greatest growth over the next five years.As stated at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 18 January 2016, "The Fourth Industrial Revolution will have a disproportionate negative impact on women's economic prospects, even though labor force changes will lead to greater progress for women in senior positions, a new study by the World Economic Forum. "

III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - TALENTS & SKILLS

A. ADMINISTRATIVE MODEL PREFERRED BY WOMEN MANAGERSAmerican Institute of Psychology research showed, that women are by nature more "flexible" leaders. Working as models, they help employees develop their skills and motivate them to be committed to the goals and creativity. This approach can in fact be more effective and efficient in less hierarchical workplaces and promote teamwork and collaboration at work as teamwork is shaping up.The review of 80 different studies by Professors Dr. Alice Eagly, Dr. Steven Karau, & Dr. Mona Makhijani, say that men and women as leaders are equally effective.But to answer the question, whether men and women have a different way of administration, Professors Dr. .Eagly & Dr. Johnson, carried out in 1990, another study of the management models used by men and women leaders of the front line. The study showed that women were more democratic, encourage more participation, while men were more authoritarian taking into account only the performance of their employees.

B, EFFICIENT WAY OF ADMINISTRATION

In 2003, in a further exploration of the leadership differences between male and female managers, it was observed that the model of management mostly used by women was that of the coach or coach of a group, encouraging them to give creative solutions to the problems they came up.Research suggests that such a management model may be particularly suited to a modern workplace. In addition, women, reward better the performance of their subordinates than men, this has as a result producing better. This has a result a better way of administration. Instead, men criticize their subordinates more and their management is often ineffective.A survey conducted at the University of Michigan shows that if you have a mixed group of men and women solving a complex business problem, the women's team will always find a better solution on average than a group of men, even if they are skilled. Some studies around the world show that companies employing more women in positions of responsibility outperform their competitors at each profitability indexIt is proven by surveys that companies run by a large percentage of women have an average productivity increase of 20%, "said Giannis Kotsis-Giannarakis, General Manager of the Association of Mobile Applications Companies of Greece (SKEKE)

At the same time, at a global level, women holding postgraduate degrees are more than men, with more PhDs and higher grades, while their talents and skills are widely recognized as being profitable and important.

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In conclusion, their perceptual capacity, emotional intelligence and consensus capacity help women manage more effectively.

C. EMPOWERING WOMEN PARTICIPATION But what impact does the 4th Industrial Revolution have on women's employment? How will affect the rapid technological change the evolution of the gender gap? What role can women play in the economy, politics and society? The Fourth Industrial Revolution will increase the gender inequality?

In order to reduce the gender gap, we must first change our mentality, reduce the stereotypes that are passed on from generation to generation, and often by women themselves, as mothers.

Encouraging girls to pursue the field of science, technology, technical sciences and mathematics is imperative.

Encouraging young women to use technology, to set up their own businesses, to create financial opportunities, to inspire girls to pursue a career that is safer and less likely to be automated.

There are branches and professions that have a greater female involvement, such as psychology, medicine and nursing, and will become more competitive and more resistant to automation.

Let us not forget that women today control about 80% of consumer markets. For example, when the Ford car industry realized that women were buying more cars than men, they redesigned the door handles because they realized that women have longer nails than men. When Ford is worried about "female manicure", it shows that women definitely have a certain influence. Women have the power to use it correctly, to be fair and to believe in it.

Many companies lose talented women around their thirties, because women face the dilemma children or career. However, the 4th Industrial Revolution could work in the short run in favor of these women since they can even work from home and manage by themselves their own working time.

D. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE

A 20-year study by the University of Cambridge, published in the scientific review "Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews," explains that the sexes have different skills from their very nature. Due to the physiology of the female brain, women have developed the points related to speech, memory, risk assessment, emotion and hearing.This justifies, on the one hand, that the better management of the word gives them a comparative advantage in diplomacy and in negotiations, and the possibility of better risk assessment justifies the fact that, in the period of the economic crisis in Greece, women's businesses have a margin squeeze a profit of only 3%, while the corresponding males by 23%. (11)Their increased emotion helps them to make decisions not only with technocratic criteria but by focusing on people, taking into account the sensitive social groups. (12)

IV. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S MEMBERS’ RESOLUTION

On 28 April 2016, Members of the European Parliament submitted to the European Commission a resolution on gender equality and empowerment in the digital age, which was published in February 2018 and also communicated to the Council of Europe.

________________________________________________________________________

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(11) Source: WORLD BANK (12) Source: Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

V. CONCLUSION

It is therefore important to examine and analyze what impact the 4th Industrial Revolution will have on gender equality. How will the accelerated pace of technological change affect the role that women can play in the economy and society. The skills that women have developed are now recognized as effective and important. Their ability to perceive their body language, crisis management, emotional intelligence, diplomacy, team management and leadership, their increased sensitivity, because of their physiology, helps them make decisions not only by technocratic criteria, but by setting human focus.

It is not easy to identify exactly what specialties will be required, especially in industries that have not yet been created. But surely demand can grow in jobs that stand out for human characteristics and skills, especially when everything is automated. It is almost certain that there is a risk that jobs currently occupied by women will remain underestimated even if not affected by the 4th Industrial Revolution, which will certainly increase gender inequality, making it more difficult for women to use talent to the workforce of the future.

The last three industrial revolutions have helped to establish gender stereotypes that put men and women in limiting roles. Without the full liberation, the power and capabilities of all mankind, the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution will be unexploited.

Overcoming this challenge requires cooperation and involvement from all sectors, including governments, the private sector and civil society in general. Policies are needed to help eliminate stereotypes. Programs of empowerment and encouragement of female participation are needed. Education is required even from pre-elementary school.

I do not think we can reduce gender inequality by simply calculating how many female executive directors are in the world. There is only one way to achieve equality and that is the combination of both female and male characteristics in a business model that will appreciate those characteristics that are important and necessary to a leader, regardless of gender.

We live in a global, interconnected and interdependent world. This requires more and more long-term solutions, collaborative strategies and creativity. One is sure that the focus should be on man and, given that, we should set and cultivate skill priorities for future generations.

WEF Founder and President Klaus Schwab in his book "The Fourth Industrial Revolution" calls on leaders and citizens to "shape together a future that works for everyone with priority to people, reinforcing them and constantly reminding them that all these new technologies are primarily human-produced tools for people "(14)

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_______________________________________________________________________ (14) Bibliography “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” Klaus Schwab

VI. EPILOGUE

Many technological applications affect the values of society, often placing moral dilemmas. Philosophical controversies have arisen regarding the present and future use of technology, with disagreements over whether technology improves or worsens human condition.However, in any case, the continuation of technological development is considered beneficial to mankind.

In conclusion, the "New World" resulting from the 4th Industrial Revolution has specific characteristics that differ significantly from those prevailing in the previous century and that policy makers should take them seriously.There is a strong need to create a healthy environment that protects industrial relations, with a corresponding legislative framework that ensures and offers to all citizens lifelong learning, education and training.

The key feature of this New World is that it is constantly evolving and will not lead "at the end of the job" in general if and only if we are able to secure and capitalize on the appropriate and ongoing education and training that is required. Then technological progress will continue to offer us wider areas of conquest that feed the vital needs of individuals and society.

Indeed, the advent of robotics and artificial intelligence entails the risk of replacing not only low-skilled but also highly skilled jobs. This can make the transition from old to new jobs more demanding for it to be necessary to drastically and effectively improve education, career guidance and vocational training by incorporating continuing teaching and learning.

A stable university education is vital. Equally vital is to increase the number of graduates so that there can be sufficient competition with graduates from other developed countries. Also, developing educational conditions for creativity, innovation, and teamwork at all levels of education is imperative. Application programs of natural sciences, new technologies, with particular emphasis on the methods and applications of educational robotics and the introduction of "engineering" and STEM sciences and their applications, should be immediately prioritized in Primary Education.

But it is equally important to provide support services in order to ensure prosperity and to give a rapid impetus to the development and development of the stakeholders. "We cannot solve our problems with the same thought we used when we created them," as Einstein stated.

Finally, I hope that this effort will contribute to opening up a political and social dialogue that will lead to a morally healthy competition for solutions and political practices.  

Olga Pavlidou KoutroupiInternational Vice President of the Commission of Legal & Human Rights EUW

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