While there has been progress in creating greater workplace diversity in SA’s IT industry, huge gender representation gaps still remain, say ICT industry leaders.
Discussing gender equality ahead of International Girls in ICT Day next Thursday, industry insiders are of the view that women and girls remain underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Hundreds of organisers and thousands of girls and young women have become part of the global Girls in ICT Day movement, which is a call to action to inspire the next generation of girls and young women to learn more about the exciting world of tech.
According to a PwC report, women presently hold only 19% of tech-related roles at the world's top 10 technology corporations, compared to men, who hold 81%.
Women have 28% of leadership roles at major worldwide technology organisations, while men hold 72%. Additionally, the report asserts SA might achieve greater economic development by narrowing the gender gap in representation and compensation by just 10%.
The imbalance is a worldwide phenomenon, with data from the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report showing it will take at least another 100 years to bridge the gender gap across the globe.
Discussing how South African organisations can provide young females with the required ICT skills to seek equal opportunities in the future, Kuppulakshmi Krishnamoorthy, global head at accelerator Zoho for Startups, explained: “Knowing the importance of equal gender representation in tech is one thing, and doing what it takes to support, to become an ally, is an entirely different thing.
“To support gender equality in the sector, the key players who have the power to propel this movement and those that can translate mere words into actions, have to have infinite compassion and courage to constantly work on changing the stereotypes.”
Krishnamoorthy says local firms can amplify their support by creating a marketplace of tech tools for learning and development, like robotics kits, sandbox developer platforms, etc; support equality programmes from early education on diversity and inclusion; empower young girls by helping them enhance their innate emotional quotient; and invest time and money in training to overcome conscious and unconscious bias.
Dori-Jo Bonner, strategist at digital communications solutions provider Striata Africa, believes the ICT sector must break down barriers by providing young girls with mentors and role models who are women in technology.
“As is the case with many other professions, ‘technology’ still carries many outdated stereotypes, and research indicates girls are significantly less likely to study technology with the intention of considering a career in the sector.
“What young girls do not learn about are the job prospects available in the technology industry and the important need for women to be acknowledged and make a difference in this space. It is crucial that we educate, mentor and guide young girls about these options, because only through this type of mentoring and guidance can we begin to open doors to so many people whose abilities and talents are so sorely needed right now,” adds Bonner.
Aisha Pandor, CEO of home cleaning services company SweepSouth, believes the most practical way to improve women representation in the ICT space is to expose more girls to STEM-related subjects.
“When it comes to getting more women into tech or other spaces where we are under-represented, language and representation matter. We often hear that when females are assertive, they're seen as aggressive, but when males are assertive, they're confident.
“That kind of language and those kinds of stereotypes start being entrenched when kids are young and impressionable. For example, as early as at primary school, when girls are studying maths and science, it's well reported that many don't feel confident enough in a class with other young boys, to put up their hands to answer questions.”
Pandor adds that as a society we need to be aware of any gender biases our children grow up with, and consciously un-train them, otherwise they occur at such a formative stage of development that they become entrenched and difficult to undo.
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