Women in Tech – leading through action

The Information Communications Technology Industry has for decades been dominated by men — the culture being that tech related fields are not for girls and not suited for women to build a career in.

Proving these misconceptions wrong, Women in Tech (WiT) has showcased, and continues to showcase, that women are both skilled and have the initiative to take the lead in developing the sector.  

Women in Tech is an NGO working towards recognising women involved in the STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) field, while closing the gender gap within the industry and increasing community awareness. WiT's initiatives have resulted in groundbreaking positive impacts in the industry in the form of adding skills and additional perspectives. 

MFR sat down with the three inspiring women who are currently the main driving force behind Women in Tech, Co-founders Aishath Adnan & Fathmath Neesha, and Vice President Hindh Ali, to gain insights on their journey of empowering, and drawing, more women to tech.

Maldives Financial Review: Tell us about the NGO; how did it begin?

Aishath Adnan: We met during an event where very few women participated and looking around we asked, are we the only women in the industry? Where are the rest of the women? Somehow, we wanted to find them. So with the idea of showing girls the importance of the ICT industry — where women can play a massive role — the three of us, over an informal coffee, came up with an initiative to draw the women of ICT together. Fifteen girls showed up that day and we knew there were more. We registered as an NGO in 2018 with the aim of inspiring, empowering and celebrating the women in the ICT industry and today we have over 195 registered members, including men, and have inspired, though various programs and efforts, over five thousand girls. 

MFR: What are your main goals and targets?

Fathmath Neesha: Our main objective was to bring out all women working in the Maldivian Tech Industry to the forefront with the hope of increasing the number of girls engaged in this sector. You rarely hear about a girl working in the ICT sector of Maldives. We wanted to show everyone that there are quite a few women working in the industry and we wanted to highlight what they have done. Over two years, our aim has been to empower and represent the ICT industry, working together with various professionals  — and to work towards policy changes required for sector development.

Aishath Adnan: When we started showcasing women in tech, more people realised, and were convinced of, the capabilities of women in the industry. We were able to change the perception of the community as a whole.

MFR: What are some of your initiatives?

Aishath Adnan: Currently we are looking to involve as many women in the sector as possible while raising the number of people in our tech community. Our first initiative, Girls to Code is a partnered event held annually — we introduce participants to logical and critical thinking and thus far have trained 70 girls. 

The STEM Festival began in 2019 and involves SMEs, academic institutions, and tech startups. This two-day event was held to showcase the work of individuals in the ICT industry.

With such initiatives and large community outreach, we have raised the visibility of the tech industry while attracting many investors and individuals to build a career in this sector.

Currently, with the assistance of a collaborating agency, we are working on a project called Girls in STEM — to carry out role modelling sessions in 18 schools across the Maldives targeting grade 10 students. We showcase various options for them to build a career in STEM.

Hindh Ali: We also engage in public awareness programs with regard to usage of technology and ICT equipment, to increase awareness of cyber security issues for students and parents. We have partnered with collaborating agencies and government partners on a community cyber security awareness campaign, which will be launched soon.

Wednesdays with Women in Tech is a program we began last year during lockdown — these are weekly awareness sessions where we focus on various tech related topics.

Recently this year, we organised a career awareness event called NextGenGirls Virtual Innovation Tour in collaboration with companies engaged in the ICT industry and we reached over 1,400 girls. We have been able to establish a huge community within a small time period and will soon launch a platform to unify and showcase the women in the Maldivian Tech industry.

MFR: According to a recent World Bank report, only 1.4 percent of the workforce accounts for the ICT sector. Why do you think this is?

Hindh Ali: Many in the sector work freelance and are not tied to an official job. Chances are high they are not included in official statistics. However, the number of individuals in the industry are also relatively low, as well as the number of jobs created annually. There is also the gap of newcomers in the field, individuals who choose to build a career in the sector are fewer comparative to other industries. 

A way to combat that is to introduce and educate students on STEM related career opportunities. As of now the level of ICT education in the curriculum is extremely low. A majority of the time projects are awarded to expatriates and foreigners instead of locals in the tech industry. In other words, less opportunities are given to local expertise in terms of various government and public sector projects.

Private sector tech firm’s visibility is also relatively low.  

MFR: The government has outlined a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for the ICT Industry. How does it impact the role of Women in Tech?

Hindh Ali: We play an active role in implementing the SAP empowerment policies within the industry. The Ministry created a working group on STEM and commenced a study on women’s involvement in the industry. However, the overall process is currently going slow. To improve current policies, we have suggested various improvements to ICT regulations be strengthened in the legal system and to include ICT in the curriculum. 

Aishath Adnan: Another thing is enabling work from home opportunities for women specially in the Tech industry so that they can engage in work given the responsibilities of raising children and playing an active role managing a home. Usually most women, with years of expertise and field experience, stop working once they start a family. This pattern needs to change and women should be given more opportunities to move further in their careers and work from where they make their home while earning a stable income.

MFR: How can the country tackle the digital divide and improve public sector services?

Fathmath Neesha: The benefit of affordable internet prices should be accessible to the island population as well. I think it will take time to narrow the gap, but progress is slow in terms of accessibility to internet within the island population. 

Aishath Adnan: After the changes in internet prices, I think the digital divide has widened. Some islands still do not have fixed broadband. We are hoping the government will take action to address this. Another thing is, we need to give importance in embedding the Dhivehi language within the scope of public sector services. Usually, Thaana is used digitally in news platforms. There is also the lack of ample study on which segment the divide is felt more; which gender or which age group. A study would help form strategies and identify areas of focus to tackle the digital divide. 

Hindh Ali: The divide can be narrowed through digitisation of public services as well while taking into consideration the improvement of accessibility to the elderly population by embedding Dhivehi in such services. While the level of digitisation in the public sector is extremely low, the lack of a standardised platform catering for all age groups is also an issue that should be addressed by the government. Basic public services, such as requesting for ID cards and passports, should be digitised to a decentralised level where a person can have access without physically coming to the capital.