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Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, chatting with some students from the Springer Memorial School during the Girls in ICT Day Caribbean Hackathon on Thursday.

TOO FEW WOMEN IN ICT

THERE is a need for society to change its perceptions of women in ICT fields and in the workplace.

This is according to Deputy Dean at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus, Dr. Jeanese Badenock, who revealed that very few women have enrolled in undergraduate and post-graduate Information Technology and Computer Studies programmes on the campus between 2015-2016.

The Dean of Outreach and Research in the Faculty of Science and Technology made this comment at the inaugural Girls in ICT Day Caribbean Hackathon recently.

The educator explained that in the faculty where students study Computer Studies or Information Technology, at the undergraduate level 81 per cent are male, while at the graduate level 69 per cent are male. She added it was only last year that a second female graduated with a M.Phil qualification and the faculty staff only consists of two female full-time lecturers out of ten in the discipline of Computer Science.

According to the 2017 UWI Vice-Chancellor’s Report, despite the Cave Hill campus having a 66.6 per cent female student attendance, one of the male-dominated faculties is Science and Technology. Dr. Badenock reported that only in the Faculty of Science and Technology, there are 46 per cent female to the 54 per cent male students.

Meanwhile, Dr. Badenock argued that the inclusion of women in the world of work “injects flexibility”. She noted that they are effective communicators, strong team players with solid work ethics, empathy, intuition, optimism, emotional intelligence and passion. Additionally, she said that their ability to multitask makes them excellent managers and work colleagues. She saw the event as a way to encourage more females into the field.

“This forum is intended to foster your interest, inspire your creativity and most importantly, highlight some of the careers that await young women in this sector,” said Dr. Badenock.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, gave a speech which focused on the global gender gap of Internet users and the lack of research on female ICT users in Barbados and the region. She highlighted that between 2013 to 2016, there has been a one per cent increase (11 per cent to 12 per cent) in the global gender gap Internet users while there is a 31 per cent gender gap in less developed countries when it came to Internet usage.

Sandiford-Garner added that there were no statistics on gender indicators on ICT usage in Barbados. “The lack of data means no visibility and if you are not visible it means you as a sex cannot inform or influence policy.”

She said that this should be addressed as limited research makes it difficult to make the case to government for the inclusion of gender issues in ICT policies, plans and strategies. (KPB)

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