Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to define the level of education of the European Union citizens and to determine the gaps in this scope between men and women. Design/Approach/Methodology: The analyzed indicators are percentage of the population with tertiary education (X1), percentage of early school leavers (X2), the participation rate in preschool education (X3), and adult participation in learning (X4). What was also analyzed were such indicators as the percentage of employed graduates (Y1) and general employment level (Y2). The source of empirical data was the information collected by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) about 28 member states of in the years 2005-2019. Findings: In recent years, the EU's education (28) member states citizens have been growing steadily. However, according to ISCED, more women than men improve their knowledge and gain an education at the education level of 5-8, and the gap in this scope is getting wider, to the detriment of men. This diversification can be observed particularly in such countries as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. Practical Implications: In recent years, one could observe that the EU member states that recent graduates' employment rate remained stable at a high level and that the total employment rate increased steadily. This applies both to men and women. Originality/Value: For women, education and qualifications raising on the labor market should be important as the research indicated significant correlations between the indicators that characterize the differences in the level of education of women in the EU (28) countries and the differences in their employment, which was not observed in case of men.
In the 21st century, society has been undergoing a technology-driven transformation which heralds a new revolution that has potential to strengthen the position of an individual and community but may also lead to the marginalization of certain groups. The Internet of Things takes advantage of the technology’s potential to improve digital competencies and the quality of life in society. The purpose of this paper is to obtain information about the digital competencies and needs of contemporary seniors and pre-senior age people, as well as socially sensitive groups from Poland’s rural areas. To strength the level of internet infrastructure in rural areas, power line communication (PLC) systems that utilize high-voltage line(s) between transformer substations are presented as a cost-effective communication tool. PowerLink IP has made PLC systems today more attractive and efficient than ever before. Based on nation-wide representative surveys conducted in deliberately selected groups, we collected information on digital competencies and formulated recommendations pertaining to the structure and contents of an innovative internet portal as regards offering, sharing, and the availability of commercial and social services targeted at seniors and other dependent groups. The recommended portal combines the needs of target groups with interests of entrepreneurs, self-government authorities, and NGOs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.