for The vast majority of IT professionals are male. Education has an important role to play, in order to include women into the sector so as to attract, but there is more to it. “A lot of women who are into IT, go to work, to flow back out.”
for The first time, Lisa van der Pool, professor of Software Engineering at training COLLEGE-ICT) at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA), on the first day of the ICT for education came from, she did not know how quickly the show had come from. “I’ve always been interested in computers, but I could only find the men on that day. I wondered what on earth I was doing there.”
However, a year later, she will still be able to do so. “This is what I wanted to do, those guys would be me, not a problem again.” Four years is a long time she sat as the only woman in the classes taught by male teachers. “If there’s something I couldn’t understand, and the rest did good, and I felt always as though I couldn’t do it because I’m a girl myself. It was, after all, is the big, obvious difference between you and me.”
the Only male role models for
and That feeling continued until Van der Plas, in the last year of her internship at VHTO, a centre of excellence for women’s enthusiasm for science. “I was going to start with one method in order to girls at a very young age, is also good for the program. As for the idea that IT is men, that is, unconsciously, early on, encouraged.”
Thus, while IT lessons in secondary schools are often examples of male role models, or are the commands given to the young men tend to be more appealing. “If the students of a care robot might be built-in rather than a game of football for development, they will see that it is spacious enough for a family. The idea that men are better at, IT really is a bias, concluded that Van der Plas, in her master thesis. Men and women are equally capable of IT.
“I worked as a computer programmer, and had nothing but men. Then there was a girl who applied for, were they to look on the internet to see whether or not they are a good thing it was.”
Lisa, van der Plas, a teacher, HvA,
as Of the of the Lake is emphasized that this kind of thing is often unconsciously done, but it does help to ensure that the men have more of IT than women do. About 85 per cent of the IT employees are male. As a woman, is hard to be in the minority, is to be found, From of the Lake in the future. “I used to work as a computer programmer, and had nothing but men. Then there was a girl who applied for, were they to look on the internet to see whether or not they’re a good thing that it was. It felt really uncomfortable.”
“it’s as if, as a culture, but the women are not very good, it was an all male culture is toxic.”
“Many of the vacancies are hard-to-fill’
diversification is definitely not only a ‘nice to have’, also highlights the Tamira van Roeyen, a co-founder of the Techionista, which is fighting for more women in IT. “The more diversity in a team leads to a 25 to a 36 percent better performance, according to the World Economic Forum.” How is that so? “You can collect, among others, different points of view.”
in Addition, it may provide a solution to the severe shortage of it personnel, as well as other labour issues. “According to the World Economic Forum, over the next few years some 75 million jobs will disappear due to emerging technologies, such as automation. The hardest blows will fall into the administrative and support functions, where women are over-represented. At the same time, you will see that many of the new jobs are created, all of which are an ICT component. A lot of of job vacancies are difficult to fill.”
“It is important for you to know that you are not alone, as a woman, even though it seems to be that a large number of companies may be like that.”
Tamira van Roeyen, co-founder of Techionista
For women who have the jobs ready, and has Techionista a omscholingstraject created by Microsoft. In the sixteen weeks to teach women the basics of the data science field, but they are also soft skills, such as in the areas of personal branding, negotiation skills, and networking. “We pay a lot of attention in the IT industry, which is mainly aimed at men. It can be overwhelming to you are capable to to keep them.”
Know that you’re not alone
in the course Techionista in addition, a network of women. “It is important for you to know that you are not alone, as a woman, even though it seems to be that a large number of companies may be like that.”
With that thought in her mind, and turned to Van der Plas, who now teaches the course that she had started a network for female IT students. “It’s only about 10% of the course, but students and teachers are still a great group.” She’s also taken to ensure that women are not just in a classroom. “We’ll divide them into pairs, so that they can be with each other and no one is more “the only girl” feel it.”
“It’s not just a matter of a couple of women to adopt, and we expect that they will have to adapt.”
Tamira van Roeyen, Techionista
The community also focuses on social activities, but the students will be able to join as well for a female IT professionals during a hard day’s work. “In this way, we hope to be the role models that weren’t there before, and now still have to create it.”
the Education and omscholingstrajecten this is a good first step for women in IT, but there’s more to it, emphasises Van Roeyen. “It’s not just a matter of a couple of women to adopt, and we expect that they will have to adapt. It is also going to be a change in the culture and the people are made to feel at home. To a lot of women who are in IT to start to flow too quickly out of a lack of inclusiveness.”
