Motivate and Promote to Empower Women, Girls in Science, Tech

Throughout history, it has been observed that derived from unfortunate events, some regions, countries, or on a smaller scale, particular communities have acted to change and improve their conditions regarding quality of life and the protection and exercise of the rights of people that guarantee equality. The events that have shaken the world in recent years should create a watershed to change patterns that do not help people — especially women and girls — in any way.

International organizations, such as the UN, have been in charge of shedding light on the problems experienced in different areas. Although this needs to remain on the public agenda, the reality is that it is a joint effort that concerns all branches of society, including the educational and business sectors.

In March, many countries commemorate International Women's Day, which concentrates a tradition of no less than 90 years that refers to our gender as active participants in history in the struggle to participate in society on an equal footing with men, since this commemoration day finds its origins in the demonstrations of women who, especially in Europe, demanded the right to vote, better working conditions and equality between the sexes at the beginning of the 20th century.

Over time, and in a continuous movement that has spread to all areas of the social, economic, and political spheres across most of the globe, women have gained access for participation, visibility, and representation. This includes the science and technology sectors.

Since 2016, Feb. 11 has markeds the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a topic to which, today more than ever, we must make a priority. In recent years, the female presence in companies has advanced remarkably; however, although efforts are ongoing to combat situations like unconscious biases that continue to affect hiring processes, other issues are inherent in the education that generations of women have received and that translate into a lack of self-esteem or confidence to apply for specific positions or the psychological struggle to escape the preconceived paradigms regarding social gender roles.

Companies in the research, development, and technology sectors are betting on providing opportunities to women without any bias; the problem is that, although these programs continue and are solidifying, nowadays, girls are not choosing to study careers in these areas in the same proportion as the male gender. 

According to a study carried out in 14 countries, the probability that female students complete a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate in a science-related subject is 18%, 8%, and 2%, respectively. In contrast, the probability for male students is 37%, 18%, and 6%.

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Technology 2023, the UN has launched the slogan I.D.E.A.S. (Innovate, Demonstrate, Elevate, Advance, Sustain) and will focus on the role of women, girls, and science concerning Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a prelude to the next high-level political forum.

An extraordinary opportunity — and also a responsibility — to significantly increase these efforts in all sectors is that of women who work in leadership positions in any organization related to science and technology. Women who mentor women help foster access to opportunities, helping to cultivate trust, especially in traditionally male-dominated environments.

The technology firm in which I am proud to lead its subsidiary in Mexico has always invested in women in technical roles. Still, in 2021 and 2022, Oracle's women's leadership group doubled down on retaining and promoting women in the industry with the Women in Tech (WiTS) series. This summit of emerging leaders is a flagship event for this type of thinking. Hundreds of women unite yearly to build relationships that enhance their careers. Over 1,000 women from all backgrounds are nominated and promoted to higher engineering and leadership roles. More women in more prominent positions mean more women are inspired to follow suit. As the saying goes, "If you can see it, you can be it."

These programs help make female talent visible within the organization, give female candidates more confidence in their abilities, and help them better manage their negotiation and networking skills. Initiatives like those I refer to above are support mechanisms to activate the adoption and normalization of dynamics in which we increasingly see more girls and women seeking knowledge and participating in science and technology, developing careers, creating innovation, and gaining more confidence in their abilities and skills, both technically and in negotiations and networking that allow them to assume leadership in the sector. However, today there do not appear to be enough spaces that would enable us to accelerate the process so that the participation of gender in these disciplines is no longer an aspiration but a reality.

As Daniel Botaro, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Oracle Latin America, mentions, "The truth is that as long as there are still gaps to close, we have to make efforts to achieve equity, a much broader concept than equality, and that has to do with giving each person what they need to be successful, understanding that we do not start at the same starting point." And in the science and technology sector, the starting point today is the theme that we are focusing on this year to promote girls and women — Innovate, Demonstrate, Elevate, Advance, and Sustain — because the knowledge that girls and women acquire from today, without a doubt, will become those actions that will make a difference in the future so that everything flows in a better way: society, ecosystem, and, above all, equality of conditions.