Malta recently celebrated Girls in ICT Day, an annual event in member states of the International Telecommunications Union, supported by the European Union, that promotes women in the ICT industry.
There is no need for girls to become boys to work in ICT
Today around seven million people work in the information and communication sector in the EU, but just 30 per cent are women. Women are under-represented at all levels in the ICT sector, especially in decision-making positions. The ICT sector is growing rapidly and is creating around 120,000 new jobs every year. But due to differences in demands and skills – and despite soaring European unemployment – there may be a lack of 700,000 skilled ICT workers in 2015.
The reasons behind this state of play are varied, and to some women, unacceptable.
“ICT is still relatively male-dominated, however it is important to note that in some parts of ICT there are nowadays more women than men,” according to Angele Giuliano, president of the Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs and a successful entrepreneur in technology. “For example, we can see that in jobs like web and graphic designers, social media marketers, IT teachers and even project managers, there is a relative balance of the sexes.
“Since ICT has grown so much to encompass and accompany most business sectors, and there are now hundreds of different jobs that fall under the label ‘ICT’, the different strong points of each gender are taking their natural comfort zone, with men more single tasking (like programming) and women more creative and multitasking (like design and management). Having a better gender balance will also create better IT solutions that appeal to all and are accessible, using the strong points of both men and women. There is no need for girls to become boys to work in ICT. We might have to wait a bit more for a proper 50/50 balance, however with the technology becoming more ‘social’ and less ‘geeky’, we might get there quicker than we can imagine.”
Jade Pecorella, junior game designer at the Malta-based TRC Family Entertainment, has always been interested in technology and the benefits that it brings, something which she experienced first-hand with her child. After some self-learning and attending Mcast she landed the current job. Yet she is very critical of how career opportunities in ICT are being promoted locally.
“The number of women is significantly lower because of stereotypes, coupled with a lack of promotion and awareness among women of what an incredible industry ICT really is. The promotion of the ICT industry is lacking, particularly in the details and different opportunities it has to offer. From a young age, we are only told of the exterior process and the dry functionality that is involved, instead of being told about the design, creativity, teamwork and development behind it all. Another factor is the lack of women in the industry to act as role models and encourage younger women to join.”
Men like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are hailed as heroes and role models in an industry where Meg Whitman is the top executive of HP, the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world, after 10 years as president of eBay. Yahoo, another new media giant, is led by Marissa Mayer, the youngest chief executive of any Fortune 500 company.
In Malta, Adrianna Zammit is the manager of Microsoft Malta, while engineer Helga Pizzuto, a top executive at the Malta Communications Authority, is president of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations and former president of the Chamber of Engineers.
The growing presence and importance of women in ICT is confirmed by James Abela and Matthew Sammut, directors of the Institute of Computer Education (ICE Malta) who organised the Girls in ICT Day in Malta.
“The perception in most countries, including Malta, is that the ICT sector is a male-dominated industry still persists, yet from our local events we have clearly established that women have key positions in a number of key ICT companies on our islands. Our aim is to give exposure to our women ICT role models and encourage them to share their stories, aspirations and challenges with female students who might be tempted to embark on a career in ICT.”
Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari, senior lecturer at the University of Malta at the forefront in the research and promotion of the digital games industry in Malta, still cannot conceive a valid reason for the dominance of men over women in terms of numbers.
“That is a mystery to me. I cannot think about a more interesting job to have! Perhaps one reason is because it is seen as a ‘boy’ thing to do when we are young. Perhaps I was just lucky. My father gave me a PC at a time when it wasn’t even part of the general knowledge (at least not mine) that computing would be a ‘guy thing’. For me, it became a Mirjam-thing.”
Dr Eladhari joins the chorus of voices insisting that computer-related work is gender-neutral and remains a tool for self-expression.
“Introduce computing as a natural activity to young girls. It is not forbidden. It is a tool like anything else in life. Like a bicycle. It can be pink or blue, but it carries you forward. Computers too can be pink or blue, but no matter their colour you can still use them for building things and for expressing yourself.”