The story of how women began to conquer their rights, including those related to the labor market, is well known and constantly discussed nowadays. However, despite progress over time, there are still areas where female presence remains low, such as in the field of Technology: even though there are notable female figures who have contributed to major technological advances, it continues to be an area where women are a minority.
Current data
According to the research "Gender Diversity in the ICT sector in 2023 in Brazil," conducted by Brasscom, even though women account for 51% of the national population, only 39% of jobs in the ICT sector (Information and Communication Technology) are held by them, with 37.7% in IT services and 36.7% in software. The study also suggests that the lower female participation in this area may be related to the lack of encouragement for women to pursue education in this field.
Lack of encouragement and challenges faced in the workplace
From childhood, except for exceptions, girls are less encouraged to engage in technology-related activities, and as they grow into adulthood, most of the guidance steers them towards other fields. In addition to this point, the awareness of gender-related discrimination in the workplace adds pressure and expectations to excel, further affecting women's participation in this area, sometimes leading to the well-known "impostor syndrome," which creates insecurity about their own abilities.
Perception of intelligence
Our self-perception and perception of others have a significant impact on this issue. A 2022 study from Griffith University in Australia revealed that men tend to view themselves as more intelligent than they really are, while women underestimate their intelligence. This bias, often deeply rooted in our minds, unconsciously hinders and creates more challenges for women's participation in fields such as technology.
Necessary changes
Therefore, for this scenario to continue evolving and more women to enter this field, a collective effort is required, including: equality and inclusion policies in companies, incentives and educational programs for women starting from childhood, and equally important, the need for environments that help reduce unconscious biases, allowing everyone to explore their abilities and interests equally.
Author: Camila Batista -Software Developer
1 Diversidade de Gênero no setor TIC em 2023 - https://brasscom.org.br/inteligencia/relatorios-de-diversidade/
2 Gender Differences in Self-Estimated Intelligence - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.812483/full
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