Despite significant growth in the number of women working in technology and IT roles, female representation in the sector has tolled over the last number of years. The number of women in tech and IT roles have always been dramatically lower than that of men.
While employers are trying their utmost to bring in more women in the sector, there seems to be a few women entering which many have attributed to the view that IT and technology are male-dominated subjects to study at school.
Conversely, today, the tech industry is becoming more diverse and companies are leveraging resource groups to help them grow their diverse team. Even with this, the gender gap is still an issue that needs tackling.
Recently, in my chat with Uzondu Uba, Communications Manager, Semicolon on Tech Trends show, she shares with us what we can do to increase the number of women in tech.
CFA: Uzo, welcome to Tech Trends.
Uzondu: Thank you for having me on the program.
CFA: In your opinion, why aren’t there more women in tech?
Uzondu: Obviously, a typical challenge is the fact that there are several factors that limit women who are interested in coming into the tech ecosystem, and then there are other factors that restrict women who are already in the tech ecosystem.
This is mainly because they find it a bit difficult to grow career-wise and to express themselves in that ecosystem. So, a good example will be to say Amina from Kaduna is really passionate about wanting to come to Lagos and probably learn how to program, but she’s restricted.
She won’t be able to make the journey from Kaduna to Lagos because she’s single, her religion does not permit it, or her parents won’t accept that huge transition. So what does she do? She stays back in Kaduna and thinks of what to do at the end of the day.
On the flip side, it could be Joy in Lagos who’s a mother of two and is already working. In a way, she’s trying to find a balance, a work-life balance.
How does she pick up her kids after school? How does she make sure they are well attended to? how does she balance a passion for tech with her responsibilities as a mum? Yeah, those are examples of the challenges that women in tech face.
CFA: Would you recommend certain kinds of policies that would help address more of these challenges?
Uzondu: Well, I think organizations should start recognizing that these are challenges.
First of all these challenges have to be identified then of course we have to create awareness about these challenges we also have to start proffering sustainable solutions to these challenges.
You can watch the full interview here.
