* By Maria Fernanda Bergamo
The technology industry is one of the most promising areas for young professionals. Each year we can see its strong growth, easily becoming one of the most relevant sectors for the economic development of societies around the world. However, today, women working in this area represent 20% of the total, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
This problem originates in the foundations of our society and starts much earlier than we think. While there are few women in the IT industry, there are even fewer young people interested in careers related to science, technology and mathematics. According to the IBGE, in Brazil, women represent 13.3% of Computer and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) students and 21.6% of engineering courses and related professions. So how do we encourage young women to be interested in the exact areas?
It is on this point that all players in the sector must focus their attention, because if our challenge is to increase our capacity for innovation and revolutionize the technology market, we must broaden our perspectives and with it diversity.
Ensuring that young women have the same opportunities and the same incentives to be interested in careers related to science, technology and mathematics is a duty of all of us who are part of this sector and a responsibility that we must share both publicly and privately.
As a technology company, we are even more committed to closing the gender gap at the regional level, incorporating initiatives that impact not only our 13,000+ employees, but also their families and their environment. We believe that part of the development of an equitable society begins with generating a solid awareness of the importance of increasing our representation in this sector.
But the work cannot stop there. The inclusion of women in the industry must be worked on every day. Along these lines, in addition to encouraging young women to enter careers related to science, technology and mathematics, we must accompany them in their professional development, improving their skills with empowerment programs and mentorships given by women with more experience in the sector, thus creating a network of professionals that goes far beyond networking, creating valuable bonds and impacting society.
But that is not all. Today, more than ever, the development of a work environment that allows reconciling personal and professional life is the key to attracting and retaining talent. And it is in this sense that we are proud to have recruitment policies designed for them, flexible practices that give them a real balance, participation in affinity groups, among others.
It's time to change the future and, for that, we need to see in the present how we can contribute to the participation of women from their school stage. We must get involved in this change, so that tomorrow, we can see more young women leading the scientific areas, more women entering careers related to the exact area and so that we can count on their value within our companies.
If we want an equal future, we must start working today.
* Maria Fernanda Bergamo, Head of SONDA's Platforms Unit
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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