Femtech – Empowerment through Innovation?

The Femtech sector is booming in Japan, Germany, and all over the world. After health issues specific for the female body had been systematically overlooked and even tabued for decades, we now witness manifold innovations branded as “Femtech” (female technology). In Germany and Japan these innovations are mostly addressing topics connected to the reproductive health of cisgender women, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.

However, scientists in the field of gendered innovations also draw attention to a lack of perspective of gender and sex in a broader sense beyond reproduction: Assuming male user standards for products is effectively putting women in danger, be it with airbags designed for male body standards, medicine having sex-specific health effects, or biased algorithms reinforcing gender discrimination.

What role can Femtech play against this backdrop? Is Femtech empowering women by breaking with taboos? Who are the Femtech protagonists, and what education and career drives them to come forward with successful innovation? This symposium brings together experts from the field of gendered innovations, and from the area of female career development with Femtech innovators to discuss what exactly Femtech stands for, and how it can contribute to women`s empowerment and gender equality.

Program 

[Greetings]

Dr. Julia MÜNCH
Secretary General, JDZB

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Dorothea MAHNKE
Director, DWIH Tokyo

Proflle / LinkedIn / e-mail

[Panel Discussion]

Chair:
Dr. Laura BLECKEN
Program Manager, DWIH Tokyo

Proflle / LinkedIn

Dr. Miyoko O. WATANABE
Deputy Executive Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency/JST; Director, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, JST

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Prof. Dr. Nicola MARSDEN
Professor, Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences / Deputy Chairwoman, Competence Center Technology-Diversity-Equal Opportunities

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Dr. Amina SUGIMOTO
CEO & Co-Founder, fermata inc.

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Peggy REICHELT
CEO & Co-Founder, XbyX Women in Balance

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Dr. med. Carina VORISEK, M.Sc.
Research Fellow, Core Facility Digital Medicine and Interoperability, Berlin Institute of Health @Charité

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