The Brussels public transport company STIB aims to recruit more women in the future in a bid to "break stereotypes," the organisation announced in a press release on Wednesday.
In an analysis of its 2024 applications, STIB found that only about 20% of applicants were women. With more than 10,000 employees, STIB is one of the largest employers in Brussels, yet only 10.9% of its workforce are women.
The company plans to increase this proportion through an awareness and recruitment campaign named 'Women@STIB.'
The campaign seeks to shatter traditional stereotypes about public transport and encourages women to choose roles in technical, operational, or security positions at STIB.
Currently, women employed at STIB are mostly in marketing, communications, or human resources. In fact, women account for 40% of applicants in these sectors.
However, the percentage drops to 11.5% for security and transport roles, and falls drastically to 3.6% for technical positions.
"There is still too little encouragement for women to pursue technical education or careers traditionally seen as male-dominated. But jobs have no gender," said a spokesperson for STIB. "Driving buses, trams or metros, ensuring passenger safety, or working in IT, maintenance, or technology – it’s open to everyone."
In the campaign, STIB features several proud female employees posing with their daughters, nieces, or young girls, highlighting the importance of addressing ambitions and biases from a young age.
"Let’s work together to change attitudes and build a public transport network that reflects our Brussels society," said Kathy Vandevelde, Employer Branding Manager at STIB.
