B.C.sa国际传媒檚 tech sector may be leading the way across Canada, but women still account for less than 20 per cent of its workforce sa国际传媒� below the national average of 25 per cent.
Behind the statistic are advocates and women who pioneer the sector as they push for change. Some of them are set to speak at the upcoming BC Tech Summit in Vancouver.
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sa国际传媒淒iversity and inclusivity has become ever-so-more important and top of mind for everyone,sa国际传媒� explained Tomica Divic, vice president of operations with Innovate BC, the Crown agency co-organizing the four-day summit.
sa国际传媒淚n the future, there is going to be a lot more jobs in the tech sector. Wesa国际传媒檙e going to need to fill those jobs and it doesnsa国际传媒檛 make sense to leave out half of the workforce by not engaging women effectively.sa国际传媒�
The B.C. non-profit Women in Tech World recently released a Gender Equality Roadmap Report, pinning down the key barriers that hinder more equal representation.
It found that sa国际传媒渂ro culture,sa国际传媒� sexism, isolation in the workplace sa国际传媒� particularly as a woman moves into bigger positions sa国际传媒� and perceptions that women are less competent or less committed all play roles in women lacking confidence at work.
The report suggested these could also be reasons why women make up 54 per cent of post-secondary science and technology graduates, but more than half of those arensa国际传媒檛 currently in that line of work.
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs CEO Paulina Cameron, who is one of the keynote speakers at the summit, told Black Press Media that government legislation is one possibility to improve recruitment and retention of women.
sa国际传媒淚 think policy can go a really far away in terms off setting quotas and mandating certain percentages happening,sa国际传媒� Cameron said.
The companies that have succeeded in paying women equal wages and increasing the number of women in leadership positions, she said, are ones that sa国际传媒渉ave stopped playing around with excuses and have put goals and metrics in place.sa国际传媒�
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs offers support and education to women across the country looking to head their own business. Consultations includes how to access capital and building the right network, but also offers a sense of community.
sa国际传媒淲e have really seen a lot of magic when women are able to come together and support one another,sa国际传媒� she said.
From robotics to clean tech to blockchain, Divic said itsa国际传媒檚 crucial women have a role.
sa国际传媒淲hen we look at artificial intelligence, there has been a lot of conversations around ethics and biases that can be built into AI, and the impact this will have in various technologies,sa国际传媒� she said.
Divic pointed to a panel discussion she attended at last yearsa国际传媒檚 summit, which focused on programming for self-driving vehicles.
sa国际传媒淯nless yousa国际传媒檙e looking at a female perspective of crossing the street, when we look at autonomous cars and drivers this could have a huge impact on the choices that these vehicles make.sa国际传媒�
The happens March 11-13 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. A day of pre-summit programming will showcase the positive impact women continue to have in the tech sector.
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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