Extract from Article by Cloudera A/NZ solutions engineering manager Renee Dvir, IT Brief Australia.
Technology companies and IT are often seen as a boys club, with men sitting behind computer screens coding.
To open the sector up and get more women involved, we must change that narrative and view those in the sector as problem solvers.
Gender diversity is still a problem in the Australian technology sector, the workforce is heavily dominated by men.
However, for the industry to remain competitive on a global scale, diversity and inclusion need to be prioritised.
From an early age, girls are taught that building and engineering are for boys, and girls should focus on the arts – you only need to look around your local toy store to see which toys are marketed to boys compared to those for girls.
It’s from that point that we are discouraging girls to get involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and that needs to change.
When we get to university, the gender imbalance is clear. Only nine percent of women study STEM courses, compared to 35% of men.
This could be different if we changed the way we viewed technology roles from an early age.
To read the full article visit:
https://itbrief.com.au/story/iwd-2021-making-the-tech-sector-more-diverse-by-making-it-relatable
