By Phillipa Osakwe-Okoye, Principal, BCG Lagos
According to a youth survey report issued by the
National Bureau of Statistics, young women in Nigeria are half as likely to
have a career in computer science and technology-related fields as men.
While the ICT gap in digital skills
is evident across regional boundaries and income levels, it is more severe for
women who are older, less educated, poor or living in rural areas and
developing countries.
The ICT knowledge gap intersects
issues of poverty and educational access. Education systems are increasingly
trying to ensure equitable, inclusive and high-quality digital skills across
board. Though knowledge in ICT opens pathways to further learning and skills
development, women and girls are still being left behind in ICT knowledge
education. Why?
Research has shown that girls and
women avoid taking science subjects as compared to boys and men. Particularly
in rural communities, the girls and women struggle to participate in anything
technology-related. The stereotypes around technology being a masculine career
and fear of being discriminated against stop girls from embracing digital
skills.
Interestingly, research shows that ICT was actually
deemed a career for the girls in the early 1900s. It is recorded that during
the WWII, female mathematicians were secretly recruited to help calculate
trajectories and ballistic tables for soldiers in the field and bombardiers in
the air. In fact, some of the earliest technology and software companies were
established and run by women: Elsie Shutt in 1958 and Stephanie Shirley in
1962.
The question then is, how did the
stereotype of ICT being a career for men begin? How did ICT become a male-dominated
field? One reason could be girls are often
discouraged from taking up science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) subjects early in school due to gender bias and stereotypes. Without the
right encouragement and background support, girls sometimes transition
eventually to other career paths.
In comparison, male counterparts are
more likely to have had more ample exposure to computers either for
gaming, learning or experimenting. They are more often more knowledgeable of
ICT topics, given them an academic edge in ICT.
So how can girls bridge this gap?
To bridge the knowledge gap in the
ICT world today, STEM education should be more incorporated into the learning
curriculum of schools - at both the primary and secondary stages. Teachers
should become more empathetic and patient with the female students. Society –
especially parents, will need to be more accepting of female participation in
ICT and proactively push for greater levels of adoption.
Successful women in the ICT space
should conscientiously mentor younger women, especially those at the early
stages of learning. More rewards, incentives and scholarships should be
extended to girls in STEM. These can build on the collaborative efforts of
government agencies and technology corporations like Interswitch, BCG, Google,
Andela, StarBridge Africa, Microsoft, Intel etc. to drive up the study of STEM
subjects by girls, by deploying e-learning facilities and shaping supportive governmental
policies.
As a forward-thinking company, Boston
Consulting Group (BCG) is raising its voice alongside every other organisation
to celebrate, raise more awareness and support technology education and skills
training among girls. We encourage young women to actively pursue courses in
STEM.
At BCG, where the majority of the
employees in the Lagos office are females, empathy is expressed within the work
environment which helps the female employees feel valued. They are strongly
supported by the male counterparts which has paved the way for the women to
continue to succeed.
International Girls in ICT Day is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) initiative and global movement to encourage girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT. It is annually celebrated on the fourth Thursday of April.
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