March 8 is the International Women's Day and, as a society, we must think more and more about what it means to celebrate women on their international day.
At this particular time, I reflect on some of the reasons that can make it difficult for women to enter the world of technology and how we can help minimize those obstacles.
These reasons, from my perspective, are as follows:
Gender stereotypes: There is a widespread perception that technology is a predominantly male field, which can create an inhospitable environment for women who want to enter the sector. This perception can also create biases in the hiring and promotion of women in the industry, limiting their opportunities. In addition, gender stereotypes can also make women feel insecure about showing their interest in technology or expressing their opinion in the workplace.
Thanks to communications and education in general, this reason is becoming less and less important, but there is still a long way to go before this perception becomes a thing of the past.
I remember when I entered the university to study Information Systems Engineering, the classrooms were full of boys and if I was lucky I could find some women. Years went by and in some subjects the proportion between men and women was abysmal, no more than 10% of the course were women. I got used to it... I got used to being, as I thought at that time, "in a man's world" and that is why I decided to be part of the change.
I came from a family of 6 siblings and my mother was looking for the baby, which came, but twice! Yes... that's right, my twin sister Emi and I were born. Since I was a teenager I have always had a very strong sense of equality, when my brother came back from leave from military service, I remember my mother asking me to take his uniform and combat boots that were full of mud and mud. I don't need to describe the feeling that this provoked in me, and really that situation was always the trigger for big arguments with my mother because I never did it. I never understood that, because I was a woman, I had to do certain things that men were not asked to do.
I could understand my mother, being Ukrainian, raised in a very difficult time for humanity, she had no idea what society took away from us simply because we were born women. Today all that is changing and I am glad to be part of that change.
Later, as I developed as a person and learned to defend my position against the male sex, I had the great opportunity to join the Argentine Air Force (FAA) to work in IT. I had the great opportunity to be the first woman in the Air Group of the Military Aviation School of the FAA back in 2000 and experience the change where more women would be part of the agency not only as civilians but as military pilots, and that would cause in me a great shudder because I began to see changes in that very masculine world to become a more inclusive world! worthy of mention.
As a woman and an IT professional, I invite all women to be part of the change and banish gender stereotypes forever. Becoming an IT professional is not a matter of gender but of skills.
Lack of role models: Women may have difficulty finding role models in the technology industry, which can limit their ability to envision a career in this field. The lack of role models may also lead to less participation by women in networking initiatives and community building in the technology industry.
Such an important point is the role model, I certainly did not have a female role model to follow, and actually writing these lines I did not have a male role model to hold on to in terms of the professional side. I would have loved to find someone who could have been my mentor at that time.
What I do remember is the great help I had at that time, from the man who is now my husband, Julio. He always had and still has, the ability to abstract complex concepts and explain them so clearly that anyone can understand it, so he taught me the logic to program and I developed my first program in Pascal and I managed to understand that concept as abstract as programming is. He also taught me Algebra and Mathematical Analysis. I never forget that in college classes of these two subjects I did not understand anything, but when I got home, he took some of his time and explained to me how to decompose the theorems, integrals, derivatives and to lose all fear of numbers; then in my head everything made sense, so I applied the same thing in the future when I worked as a teacher at the Military Aviation School and I began to love teaching and trying to teach as I would have liked to be taught. I am still learning how to teach, there is still a long way to go, there are still lives to change and that is why today I am still teaching after 25 years where I was in front of a classroom for the first time in 1997.
Lack of supportLack of support at home, at school and in the workplace can limit women's access to education and opportunities in the technology industry. Human beings by nature always feel a part of something, and feeling support from either their family or their environment is paramount. Women can face obstacles in obtaining the education and training necessary to enter the technology field, so I have dedicated much of my life to sharing my knowledge and experience to plant the seed of curiosity for all those women who wish to enter the world of technology, my motto is "It's never too late to reinvent yourself".
Wage inequality: In the technology industry, women often receive lower wages than men for the same work. This can be discouraging for women looking to enter the field. Unequal pay can also lead to less motivation for women to enter the technology industry and this can contribute to a lack of diversity in the sector, certainly "being a woman" is not indicative of lower pay for performing the same IT activities as a man. It is very important to raise your voice to be part of the change.
Educational barriers: Women may face educational barriers, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas, which are essential to the technology industry.
Even today there are communities in which women cannot develop in the world of technology because they are only seen as mothers, wives and housewives, so I think we still need to generate more awareness about the importance of knowledge in the areas of technology and develop special programs for the inclusion of women in IT.
We used to be very concerned about bridging the gap and achieving literacy, because a person who cannot read and write in his or her language has difficulty participating fully in society at large. Today we need to make the area of technology literate because the lack of basic skills and knowledge about the use and understanding of technology and the different areas of technology is a big obstacle to develop in this society because technology is more and more present in our daily lives. If we add to that the fact that there are still sectors that think that women are predestined to the arts and men to the sciences, this puts even more pressure on women to decide and choose careers in technology.
So how can we celebrate this International Women's Day to make it meaningful and be the initial framework to generate change?
For me, it is becoming aware of these reasons that are still a major impediment to achieving true equality in the area of technologies between men and women and start being the agents of change by investing time to educate and be evangelists of technology literacy.
Do you want to be part of the change? Together we are stronger!
Today I want to celebrate all the women who manage to develop their passion despite the obstacles they find in their way! Never give up! Be the change you want to see in the world!
Happy International Women's Day!
Love, Clarisa