Women Necessary for Industry 4.0
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Women Necessary for Industry 4.0

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Alessa Flores By Alessa Flores | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Thu, 04/23/2020 - 13:06

Today, the General Directorate for Innovation and Analysis part of the Head of the Presidency Office, organized a webinar to commemorate the International Girls' Day in information and communication technologies (ICT). During this conversation, public officials, the private sector and civil society joined forces to support the global initiative promoted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to encourage girls and young women to consider pursuing a career in the growing area of information technology and communication. 

Salma Jalife, Deputy Minister of Communications and Technological Development, urged the public to understand the reasoning behind the conversation. "Today, global attention is drawn to the digital gender gap that divides access and use of ICTs. Girls and young women are most affected by the limited opportunities they have to develop in technology, which is why it is necessary to commemorate Girls' Day in ICTs to empower them to develop professionally and, in effect, to create opportunities that support this empowerment,” told Salma Jalife to the audience.

Roberto Martínez, Director of the OECD Center in Mexico emphasized that the problem of the gender gap goes beyond the economic and educational inequality that exists in the country. A clear example is an educational test known as PISA. The PISA test focuses on measuring competencies and skills in three pillars: scientific, mathematical and reading comprehension according to the OECD. Within this test, Martínez said a question is asked to students who have outstanding results: how do you perceive or feel your mathematical ability? Although boys and girls have similar performances, their responses are very different, Martínez said. Boys answer with confidence that their mathematical abilities are good, while girls answer with hesitation and consider themselves to be fairly good. According to Martínez, this is a clear example of how “inequality has penetrated the deepest part of society and has come to affect women's psychology and self-esteem.”

Andrea Escobedo Lastiri, National Vice President of ICT Inclusion and Diversity at CANIETI, said that the problem of inequality in women's participation in ICT is a deep problem. “Limited access to ICTs has shown us that the problem goes beyond simple access and that it is a matter of systemic inequality.” Since the problem is not merely about bringing technology to girls, but in breaking down the barriers that prevent them from having access and using them due to gender issues. Escobedo explained, “the only way to combat a systemic problem is to create a holistic strategy that allows not only to close technological gaps but gender gaps that have prevented girls and women from accessing the same opportunities.”

For this reason, Dr. Abel Hibert, Deputy Chief of Innovation and Analysis at the Head of the Presidency Office, emphasized the importance of generating opportunities from the governmental sphere. "To guarantee greater equality of access, it is necessary for public and private institutions to strengthen the participation of women in the area of ​​technologies, since their inclusion can be a way to reduce the gap and increase the number of women participating in this field," Hibert explained.

Likewise, Adriana Moreno, Regional Director of Estratégico Marketing for Latin America at Huawei Latinoamérica explained that to look for permanent results, Mexico has to look for permanent improvements. "We need to develop opportunities and changes that are permanent to close the gender gap in ICTs and that girls become key to the success of the industry." Within the same idea, Eduardo Gutierrez, President of AMIETI shared that inclusivity, diversity and equality must continue to be the principles that lead change in the sector and stressed the importance of making alliances so that more and more women participate.

To close the first-morning panel, Roberto Martínez emphasized that the only way that a country like Mexico or any other in the world can truly join the Industry 4.0 strategy will be with the participation of women. “There is no country in the world that can take on 4.0 without including women. You cannot achieve a change in ICTs without the participation of women. Therefore it is vital that industry and governments look for ways to reduce inequality,” he explained. 
 

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