International Women’s Day 2021: Choosing to Challenge Every day
March is an exciting month for Hackergal as our communities come together to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. I’m excited and proud to see the media capture the achievements of women made across all industries and the world. But I also know one month is not enough. This month also encourages reflection and exposes us to how much more is needed to create an inclusive world.
Women are traditionally encouraged to enter service and care-oriented jobs, which have disproportionately borne the brunt of the pandemic. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics found that worldwide, women were 24 percent more likely to lose their job due to the pandemic, and those that remained at work expected to see a wage decrease of 50 percent more than men.
Women will also continue to disproportionately bear the burden of the pandemic long after vaccinations are administered, and the world begins to move on, according to Public Service Alliance Canada.
These wonderful, worthwhile careers are important and those individuals who take on these roles support our communities in so many unique and challenging ways. However, as the pandemic has caused us to pivot towards a more virtual, tech-based world, the worry is that service jobs will not recover to pre-pandemic levels. It is our responsibility to encourage girls to explore their potential and be prepared for the jobs of the future.
What is frustrating is that we already know it is imperative to support women and girls entering traditionally male-dominated fields. Corporate resolution after resolution acknowledges the incredible contributions women have made in this field and vows to offer more opportunities to young girls to learn these skills.
However, there is a lot more that needs to be done to ensure we continue to empower girls and women with equitable opportunity, especially when it comes to the tech landscape. I believe this is a collective effort between parents, educators, and industry leaders. We need to demonstrate our advocacy through the development and investment in accessible education, equitable rights programs, and public policies within our schools, communities, and workplaces. Together, we can collectively break down barriers for women and move away from traditional gender stereotypes, as well as adverse norms and stereotypes of masculinity that confine men too. We have the opportunity to be the last generation that has to fight this inequality.
The pandemic signaled a shift in our economy. Computers and technology have proven to be more important than ever with the recent shift to virtual learning for students. We need to work together to close the gender gap in tech now in order to provide an equitable future for girls. According to Humi’s 2020 Canadian HR Benchmark report, women make up 30% of Canada’s technology workforce, this is much better than previous statistics but better is not good enough. There is an opportunity for us to challenge this by investing in a supportive pipeline of Canadian girls pursuing technology careers of the future.
At Hackergal, we also pivoted with the pandemic and continue to support girls across Canada to build a solid foundation of digital literacy skills with online resources designed for various learning environments. The girls are learning foundational skills that will prepare them for the jobs of the future while being a part of a national community of young women working together to close Canada’s gender gap in tech. They are encouraged to explore incredible careers in a booming industry while meeting like-minded peers and role models to mentor and support them along the way.
“My long-term goal is to contribute to this new revolution and pave a way for more individuals to contribute to this as well, especially the next generation of women as there is a current gender gap that needs to be addressed for this revolution to propel exponentially.” — Janat B. Hackergal Ambassador
Now, more than ever, empowering girls to pursue careers in technology is a necessary endeavour that every industry needs to support. This past year has taught us the power of technology while shining the light on the many challenges women are facing in the workforce. As we work together to build back a sense of normalcy, this is a time to reflect on how we can foster opportunities for girls and women to be empowered, seen, and heard.
Let’s #ChooseToChallenge the gender divide, gender bias, gender inequalities in the technology industry. I’m calling on organizations and technology companies, in particular, to take measurable action to invest in their future workforce that reflects equity for the future of technology, the future of education, and the future of girls.
At Hackergal, we are ready for the challenge. #ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021
To find out more about how you can support Hackergal, please visit hackergal.org.
