IT experts stress on empowering women

Highlight female workforce participation in driving productivity, exports

KARACHI:

Information Technology experts have underscored the pivotal role of female workforce participation in accelerating Pakistan’s IT sector productivity and exports. With a significant share of the local population and exceptional talent in computer and technology fields, their inclusion is deemed essential for sector growth.

Jehan Ara, former president of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), highlighted the significance of women’s inclusion in the workforce for fostering smarter and faster growth. Highlighting their unique perspectives, she noted their ability to address a significant segment of women users and consumers in businesses. She mentioned that IT companies have recognised this importance, leading to a notable increase in the ratio of women in the industry, rising from 12% to over 22% within the last five years.

Maha Shahzad, Founder and CEO of Buscaro, underscored the increasing working opportunities for women in Pakistan, whether onsite or remotely. She highlighted the need for women to navigate challenges and barriers while balancing their careers and family responsibilities to achieve their goals. Shahzad expressed confidence in Pakistani women’s ability to excel in various fields and roles, including founding startups and securing investments, despite prevalent issues, challenges, and cultural mindsets.

During the Women Tech Quest 2024 event hosted by 10Pearls University, Zeeshan Aftab, Co-Founder and Managing Director of 10Pearls, reiterated the substantial contribution of female professionals in Pakistan’s IT sector. He highlighted their robust skill sets in areas such as design, coding, and quality assurance, among others. Aftab urged IT companies to adopt flexible work cultures, including remote and hybrid models, to better accommodate women in the workforce and ensure a balanced approach to gender diversity.

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In conversation with The Express Tribune, Alpha Beta Core (ABC) Analyst Sarwat Khan said, “One in four roles in top-tier tech companies like GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft) is held by women, with 44% of leadership roles filled by women at Apple. Pakistan ranks among the bottom two countries on the gender gap index, which assesses disparities in economics, politics, education, and health, just above Afghanistan.

While Pakistan’s IT sector shows strong growth in recent years, sustaining this growth becomes questionable if we neglect to include half the population in the IT industry. Despite many programmes, funding, and grants supporting women-led ventures, we are far behind the global ratio of women’s inclusion in tech roles. It is increasingly important to create a pipeline of women in the tech workforce who can step into the next available senior roles.

To promote women’s inclusion in tech roles, it is vital to build skills and create opportunities at each layer of the organisation rather than solely celebrating the advancement of a few women into senior roles.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2024.

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