Painstaking efforts have been evaporating over the years in Nigeria in a bid to encourage more women in the tech industry. This surge, either as a result of lack of interest or deluded that technology is exclusively designed for men should be nipped in the bud.
A recent study conducted by the Centre for Talent Innovation found that 27% of women in tech feel stalled in their careers and 32% are likely to quit within one year, this goes to prove that there are numerous challenges for the women in tech.
One of the summits organized recently in Lagos to ensure that more women are involved in technology was the Girl Meets Tech Summit 2017. The summit identified many reasons women do not advance in tech and also some aids to improve their interests and boost their morale.
The summit which was organized by Start Zone was held recently at The Zone complex, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos, and some ladies attended it.
The event had some key female speakers who have so far developed their careers in the tech industry sharing their experiences of the good, the bad and the ugly of being a woman in a male-dominated the industry.
The highlights of the events saw the ladies sharing their challenges in the industry which included trying to combine both work and family pressures, having to be on the computers for long hours while still coping with their family and marital duties, the problem marginalization by their male counterparts and being looked down upon as less competent.
Also pointed out was a lack of willingness by high-ranking women in tech to mentor the upcoming ones, having other successful female techies handholding the newbies and even trying to sensitize the others who do not seem interested as to the importance of tech.
Despite these stated challenges, there is still a great belief that more women are needed in the industry to fight for gender equality, also bringing in their highly creative and organizational skills; there would be more significant advancements to the industry.
Furthermore, some outlined aids to spur the ladies interests in tech were identified.
- Develop the interest in tech; you mustn’t be all geeky and nerdy to practice tech, identify that there are various angles to tech
- Face your fears of the possible toughness of tech.
- Improve and build your skills not minding the challenges. For example, using the WordPress site, one can now create a website, meaning you mustn’t even be a coder to develop a website.
- Find a way to relate and maximize tech for your already existing or soon to be a business. Optimize the use of social media and advance from there.
- Find a mentor, someone female, who could handhold you and put you through.
