ON International Girls in ICT Day, on 27 April, several industry experts held conversations around diversity and inclusion in a sector largely still dominated by men under the theme ‘Digital Skills for Life’.
Asked to share their hopes for the future of girls in ICT, four female leaders in ICT, were frank yet inspiring leaving one in no doubt on the task at hand.
Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Program Manager at Salesforce, said the greatest challenge to advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in the technology industry, is addressing women’s under-representation in emerging roles, such as cloud computing, engineering and Data and AI.
“A successful outcome would be the day that we no longer need to talk about girls or women in ICT as a specific focus area. In the meantime we need to keep nurturing potential, interrogating how to make ICT more appealing to girls and women, and actively debunk any remaining stigmas, myths and stereotypes around ICT being a male field,” she adds.
Rashi Gupta, Managing Director, MFS Africa Hub at MFS Africa, believes that the presence of women in STEM fields is crucial for driving innovation and promoting a sustainable economy.
“Women bring unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches that can lead to new innovations in technology and science. Additionally, having a diverse workforce in STEM industries can lead to more inclusive and equitable decision-making, which is essential for creating a sustainable future for all. Encouraging and supporting women in STEM education and career paths is not just a matter of fairness and equality, it is also a business and economic imperative. Investing in women in STEM is investing in the future,” she adds.
Vanashree Govender, Media Relations and Communications Manager at Huawei South Africa, says Innovation and ICTs are key drivers of economic growth, especially for emerging markets like South Africa.
“The country’s social and economic growth challenges call for solutionist thinking driven by innovation and ICT skills that contribute to demolishing the triple threat challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. It is the type of solutionist thinking that requires the inclusion of girls in ICTs.”
This context, is however often missed when the participation of girls in STEM and their role in ICTs is defined. It is a well-known factor that women approach problem-solving with a brain that places emphasis on specific pieces of the problem-solving process.
“A future for girls in ICT, is one that takes girls beyond seeing STEM as a subject, but more as an enabler of a future they desire for themselves, where they have the digital skills and are fully aware and conscious of how these can empower them to change their worlds,” she adds.
Head of MiWay Blink, Keletso Mpisane, says one of the biggest barriers in ICT has always been access to market and competition but for women it is also gender bias.
“The ICT space has historically been male dominated and though there have been strides made – over the years, there is still room for a higher presence of women in the field. These women would act as role models for the next generation, who would be in the position to take this field even further forward into a more equally representative space,” adds Mpisane.
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