If you are a woman, surely as a girl they gave you babies, plastic utensils and makeup for you to play with. If you are male, on the other hand, soldiers, dinosaurs and even science and experiment kits. Gender in parenting and education takes men and women on different paths, and this is particularly reflected in the field of technology. To name a few facts that shed light on the phenomenon, only 6% of the apps we use were created by women and the interest of young Argentinian women aged between 11 and 14 to train in technology-related careers is only 10%. Faced with this rather bleak picture, groups such as Girls in Technology seek to change the training of today's young women to close tomorrow's technological gap.
Even though more and more girls identify as feminists, adolescent girls continue to be disqualified, hypersexualized and objectified from an early age and continue to acquire erroneous teachings about what it means to be a free woman. In a context that constantly invites them to set aside their talents to obsess over beauty and to be functional to femininity and men, it is no wonder that the rapid growth of technology is not accompanied by a growing interest on the part of young women. “Self-confidence in their abilities, pressure for perfection and pre-constructed ideas about the difficulty of technology-related subjects and careers can inhibit or discourage young women from entering technology-related disciplines,” indicate the findings of a report developed by Chicas en Tecnología (CET) with J.P Morgan.
For CET, the lack of visibility of women professionals who are referents, the lack of data and the lack of knowledge about the challenges that women face in their journeys are other causes that influence the situation: “It is a vicious cycle: the low presence of women in the field offers fewer role models for girls and young people and, in turn, reduces the chances of disarming obstacles in the trajectories of those who study and work in that field”, they point out.
What would a world look like where women and men equally develop technological solutions? What innovative products would we start using? What social, economic, communication and environmental problems would we manage to leave in the past? It is time to rise to the task and start changing from education and culture the conceptions that girls have about themselves and their talents, and to start introducing technology as one of the tools they have to develop.
Since 2015, Chicas en Tecnología has motivated, trained and accompanied young women from Argentina and Latin America to become creators of technology with social impact and develop their own professional and academic careers in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). “During 2021, in the context of the pandemic, Chicas en Tecnología y Mercado Libre decided to jointly set up an online and regional program to enhance the technological skills of young women in the region.” The Conectadas program was a space for growth, education and community formation for adolescents and young women in Latin America. “Participants gain knowledge and skills that they can use in their future academic and professional training, and the program contributes to promoting a new generation of empowered women across the region,” they say.
Girls between 14 and 18 years old living in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay can participate in Conectados, and it is not necessary to have any previous knowledge. For six weeks — and through an immersive learning experience — they will develop entrepreneurial skills in the technology ecosystem and create innovative solutions to transform their communities. In ten meetings, future technology leaders will train their digital thinking, analyze data, create their own impact project and put together a marketing and communication strategy. Sounds good, doesn't it? In addition, throughout the program they will be able to connect with a Latin American network of girls and industry professionals.
Places are limited and the call for applications is until March 27. From March 28 to April 1, the selected young women will be contacted and the course will begin on April 4. More information at conectadaslatam.la
* Lucia Rennella is the content creator of Ticmas.
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