KARACHI:
IT trainers and entrepreneurs are advocating for increased women’s participation in the tech industry to unlock the country’s immense potential.
Historically, the tech industry has been male-dominated, resulting in women being underrepresented in both the workforce and leadership positions.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, SI Global Solutions CEO Noman Said highlighted, “To foster increased women’s participation in the tech industry, we must institute targeted mentorship programmes, advocate for inclusive educational policies, and cultivate a supportive ecosystem that dismantles gender barriers, ensuring equal opportunities for all aspiring professionals. There are just a few examples of many women who have made a significant impact in the tech industry. Their work and achievements serve as inspiration for future generations. Increased gender diversity at the corporate level has led to things like increased skill diversity in upper management and less gender discrimination throughout the firm, which has improved the ability to recruit top talent.”
Troy Group of Companies CEO Yasmin Dadabhoy stressed the need to create Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics scholarships, mentorship programmes, and networking events to promote women’s participation in Pakistan’s tech industry. She highlighted the importance of diversity policies in companies to ensure equal opportunities. “We must also showcase female role models and advocate for flexible work arrangements,” she said, emphasising that mentorship programmes at all levels of education are the most effective way to boost confidence in young women or fresh graduates for startups.
“The total percentage of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan is 1%. Of this value, less than 20% are engaged in the IT sector. To quote the old adage, ‘seeing is believing.’ The women of this country need to see their role models thriving in the corporate workplace as entrepreneurs and business leaders. Another important factor to consider is the resources we need to provide women-led start-ups to enable them to actually conceive and execute their ideas into tangible companies,” she added.
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Dadabhoy highlighted the challenges faced by women in the IT sector, including gender bias, funding issues (venture capitalist), leadership representation, work-life balance, and networking hurdles, as the difficulty in establishing connections within a predominantly male industry affects collaboration and business growth.
Alpha Beta Core (ABC) Analyst Sarwat Khan noted that the tech industry in Pakistan has predominantly favoured males, with limited women’s involvement in STEM fields at the college and graduate levels. To rectify this, efforts should be initiated early on to encourage girls to pursue tech-related fields and dismantle societal stereotypes. Initiatives like “She Loves Tech” and “Women in Tech” programmes in Pakistan are moving in the right direction, promoting female inclusion in the startup ecosystem. Success stories, such as Sehat Kahani, an all-female-led Pakistani company that recently secured $2.7 million in a Series-A funding round, and other women-led tech startups like BusCaro, EduFi, and BizBi making strides with recent funding, attest to this positive trajectory, she said.
However, women-owned businesses still remain in the minority in Pakistan, facing challenges such as defying social expectations, limited access to funding, and a lack of support networks. Empowering women requires ensuring equal opportunities and addressing unconscious bias to create an inclusive and supportive environment, she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2024.
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