The technology sector does not escape the gender gap. It is yet another area in which the differences between women and men are perpetuated, putting women at a disadvantage. Salaries, decision making roles, accessing and maintaining certain roles ( to name a few) are all areas in which women are discriminated against.These inequalities are visible at a global level in both academic and working life.
According to data from the World Economic Forum, less than 1 in 3 women choose to study technical careers because they do not see themselves as professionals in the field.
The lack of females in the field means that instead of women being inspired to think “that could be me!” many women are unable to see themselves as potential scientists and wouldn’t dare imagine their future selves as experts in technology.
One of the reasons for this disparity is the age-old stereotype that men are better than women at STEM careers – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Is there any scientific evidence to support this? No there absolutely is not.
Furthermore, in the labour force, women are under-represented, and 80% of them are employed in low-productivity sectors (UNDP, 2019).
In the sector of knowledge economy jobs and higher-paying sectors, such as technology, the gender gap is even wider.
Why is it important for women to have access to quality jobs? One reason is that those in low skill jobs have a higher risk of being replaced by automated machines and thus they have a higher risk of unemployment.
So, it is vital that we support organisations that are committed to women’s empowerment in the digital industry. These organisations are daring to change the rules of the game, tearing down obstacles in women’s paths so that women can go further!
- Laboratoria
Laboratoria is an educational organisation that creates learning experiences in order to reverse the gender inequalities faced by women in Latin America when accessing high quality jobs.
In its beginnings in 2013, under the name Ayu, they existed as a web agency that was facing a problem: they couldn’t find talent to fill their jobs, let alone women with experience in technology. So they took the initiative to train them through a world-class boot camp. Through this project, they prepared their students to begin careers as front-end developers and UX designers, with an emphasis on life skills and self-learning.
Laboratoria also builds long-term relationships with the actors who will employ these tech-trained women. So they are creating network between its graduates and the employing companies. It’s a win-win situation: the women get jobs in these companies and the companies get the talent they need, creating more diverse and inclusive teams.
Already more than 1800 women have completed the training, and around 80% of them are working in the labour market in technology-related vacancies. An “extraordinary success rate”, in Barack Obama’s own words.
- +Mujeres en Ux- Argentina
+Mujeres en UX is a community of women passionate about User Experience. It was created to provide support for women who want to work in the area and to show the growing presence of women in the discipline.
In 2018, Erika Latorre, Clarisa Bossi, Mariana Casasco, founded +Mujeres en Ux – Argentina, supported by Mariana Valenzuela and Carolina Sepúlveda, who had created the “mother” community in Chile a year earlier. They dedicated themselves to solving the lack of connection spaces, promoting job placement and the sharing of knowledge in the 3 main fields of UX – design, writing & research.
Through initiatives such as workshops, community meetings, mentoring, events, special projects (Abuelos TEC, Gender Jam) they share knowledge and expertise whilst supporting other women so that they can develop professionally in the UX area.
In 2020 alone, +Mujeres en Ux – Argentina held 18 workshops with more than 200 participants, hosted 21 female speakers. 60 women were chosen to be mentored (of which 15% got jobs) and went on to take part in 3 international events: 24 hs in UX, Reinventar TEC and Hola LATAM.
- Chicas en Tecnología
Chicas en Tecnología is an Argentinean non-profit organisation. Since 2015, they have been creating free and open programmes and initiatives for adolescent women. They currently operate in 18 countries in the region with different training options in technology, leadership and communication skills. They work to reduce the gender gap and ensure that women go from being users to creators of technology with a social impact.
Its founders (Sofía Contreras, Mariana Varela, Melina Masnatta and Carolina Hadad) decided to focus on this particular age range because, although gender stereotypes are built at an early age, the interest in developing in STEM fields is defined in adolescence.
Chicas en Tecnología stresses the need for people to understand the importance of the cause: Today, technology permeates every part of our lives and is being designed by a very small part of the population. It is essential that there is more diversity in the teams that create our technology, so that there is more diversity in the technological solutions created.
Recently, Chicas en Tecnología presented the new version of Mujeres Argentinas en STEAM, a microsite that seeks to give visibility to women from all over the country who lead and work in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) and entrepreneurship.
In short:
We want more women studying technology. We want more women working in technology, in good conditions. And we want more technological solutions that reduce inequalities and contribute to the common good.
Here at Efecto Colibrí we support these causes by giving a voice to positive impact initiatives (like these three) that not only dream but build a more egalitarian reality every day. Will you join us?
