Being a Woman in the Technology Industry

Ever since the early days of computing, the spotlight hasn’t shone on women’s contributions, despite the Women’s March parade in early this year.

Studies in 2018 said Women make up an average of just 20 percent of workers in tech and only 18 percent of undergraduate computer science degrees are held by women. This number has been under fire for years because there is a fact that stated 74 percent of girls express a desire for a career in STEM fields.

So then, what exactly is holding them back? Why are women then not able to make the most of these opportunities? What’s going on with women in tech?

We sat down with one of our Walepay Full-Stack Developer, Alya Fernandya and she can’t help but agree. Alya, who recently graduated from the University of Indonesia major in Computer Engineering stated, out of a total of 50 students only 12 women included her took computer majors.

On top of everything else, these facts are being justified with experts who believe the lack of female mentors and gender inequality are some of the factors responsible for this trend.

However, despite all that, Alya chooses to focus on how she can develop herself into finest engineer every day, instead of positioning herself as a minority in the field.

Yes, not having enough women in computer science and technology is a serious equality issue and should not be taken lightly. But having a positive attitude is what everyone should keep in mind because if we continue to believe that gender is a setback, it won’t do any help to increase the percentage of women pursuing careers in this ‘male-dominated’ field.

“For some people, it may look ‘geeky’ or ‘nerd-like’, but for me, code is about creativity and it has turned my life pretty much from …nothing to something. It’s always been my passion so I don’t do things for the sake of being cool or ‘girl-like’” she adds.

As technology becomes more relevant in our lives, it is critical women are being included in the narrative of building an impact for future, and that’s starts with engaging more women in education, adding inspiring female role models, and create a future where there is no gender gap in tech.