Women remain a minority in the world of technology, one of the fastest growing sectors

The knowledge-based services (SBS) sector, which is home to the software and computer services industry, has experienced strong growth in Latin America. This implies higher incomes and employment opportunities. Opportunities that many women are excluded because of gender disparities in access to science and technology, as highlighted in the report presented today by Chicas en Tecnología and Intal BID, in the Less events, more data, what was done in the Cultural Center of Science, in Buenos Aires.

In Argentina, the SSE area accounts for 6.6% of the country's GDP. The sector generates jobs for 1.3 million people (49.2% of whom are salaried workers). In addition, it is the fourth largest exporting complex in the country, with more than US $ 2,900 million recorded in the first half of 2018. For its part, the software and computer services subsector recorded a cumulative annual growth of 16.1%.

Without a doubt, this is a sector where, unlike in other areas, there are opportunities for growth. However, to have access to many of these possibilities, it is necessary to have adequate academic training. And it is there that the waters begin to divide.

Inequality in education

In the university system, there is a gender gap in the entry and exit of CTIM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students in Argentina.

Between 2010 and 2016, 33% of women were female students in these disciplines, while men accounted for 67% of the total. And especially in the case of careers with an engineering degree, the proportion of women is 23%, while that of men reaches 77%.

For postgraduate courses in CIT, the proportion of women graduates increased by 17%, compared with 40% for men.

Why these differences? "The majority of women trained in STEM face barriers in their choices, which are based on family and social stereotypes, and are presented before choosing a career and when it is realized," says the report.

"Women are told that they are making a career in men or that they are not good at maths" badysis Cecilia Lavena, gender consultant, during the presentation.

These stereotypes, fossilized in society, link women to skills for the social or social sciences. It is often believed that men are better at technical disciplines or numbers. And what is repeated a thousand times (speech and behavior) is reinforced.

In psychology, we speak of Pygmalion effect or self-fulfilling prophecy: the expectations of teachers, leaders of an organization and society in general in relation to a group of people end up determining their actions.

These stereotypes can be seen daily in comments that circulate on social networks or those that leave many readers at the bottom of journalistic notes.. In the panel shared by María Guillermina D 'Onofrio and Maria Victoria Tignino, both members of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, shared, through posters projected on the wall, some of these macho words seen daily.

"There are few women because they have the smallest brain" or "It's a question of ability, not bad", were some of the comments that were read on the screen . Others have focused on the physical appearance of a researcher mentioned in a note.

These stereotypes, combined with rigid educational practices, end up being the main obstacles to participation in the field of science and technology. For this reason, as was maintained during the presentation of this event, much remains to be done to encourage the participation of girls and women in these areas.

Given the potential in the segment, it is essential to encourage inclusion and participation in these disciplines. With regard to women, where the pay gap persists, it is essential to encourage entry into technical education as well as the technology and science market in order to give them equal opportunities with men. .

Gaps in the work

In the workplace, women express difficulties in overcoming "the glbad ceiling"This is the name given to the invisible barriers that appear when women begin to develop into the structure. These are obstacles in the advancement of their careers, the implicit difficulties that arise when they approach the summit.

The differences are often felt from the moment of the job interview, where physical appearance sometimes seems to be a determining factor for obtaining a job.

"In the field of work, it is the girls who serve coffee or open the presentation of the powerpoint to exhibit," said Lavena.

To match the growth conditions of some sectors, it is suggested to consider a three-month paternity leave, that is to say the same duration as that reserved for women for maternity. In fact, several NGOs across the country support this initiative and have presented initiatives to Congress to bring about change in this regard.

This is considered fair because it allows the man to be also more present during the first three months of his son's life, and he is recognized that he has an equally important role in the education of the child. At the same time, he is also seeking to equalize working conditions. If this starts to be implemented, it is difficult for a woman to feel that her motherhood is an obstacle to the growth of her work. During the interview, you probably do not have to deal with the question of your desire to be a mother or the number of children you have as "filter" .

A deficiency in repair

In the first place, it is fundamental to recognize that gaps exist. To solve a problem, you must first recognize it and it is already happening. According to Latinobarómetro, 66% of Latin American citizens recognize that there are "strong" or "very strong" tensions or conflicts between men and women. And between 2010 and 2017, the visualization of these conflicts increased by 10 points, from 46% to 56%.

Second, we need to start putting tools in place to, on the one hand, put aside the biases that end up excluding women from science and technology; and on the other, start generating activities that seek to promote the interest and learning of these disciplines.

At the workplace level, there are also companies where they have begun to put tools in place to promote women's growth and reduce the pay gap. In the public sphere, Tignino and D & # 39; Onofrio indicated that activities are being implemented to make visible the equality that exists between women in the field of science and technology.

Lino Baraño, for her part, badyzed the role of women in this area. In Argentina, there are 60% of women researchers in the public sector, but only 26% in the private sector.

The presence of women is further reduced when high positions are taken into account: only 11.5% of them hold hierarchical positions in research careers and 11% hold rector positions in national universities or are leading authorities in scientific and technological organizations.

At regional level, the extension of paternity leave is still pending, which, as mentioned above, would contribute to the equal working conditions of men and women. It's a beautiful slope that other places are already facing.