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Working in IT gives women great opportunities. It allows you to combine your career with family life

The opportunity to work remotely, combine career and family life, a relaxed atmosphere and satisfactory earnings - these are, according to women, the main advantages of working in the IT industry. What is important is that in order to work in IT, you do not need a degree or technical studies. In Poland, 1/3 of the women employed in this industry are graduates of social, humanities and art faculties. - In about a decade or so, women will already make up about 40 percent of IT employees - predicts Femtech founder Sheela Subramanian. However, as he stresses, it is important to start developing competences in new technologies as early as in kindergartens and primary schools.

- I have noticed that women in the IT industry are one step back. They don't think they're as good at it as men. But I don't think it's the men who stand in their way, but they're the men who stand in their way. It's about them deciding to take that step themselves. It's high time for them to take a step forward and enter the industry because they're very smart. We are present in a variety of technical industries, and even in NASA. So why shouldn't we be in IT? Everyone can try their hand here," says Newseria Biznes news agency Sheela Subramanian, founder of Femtech, an organization dedicated to promoting women in IT and new technologies.

As he stresses, IT offers great opportunities for women, which they should make greater use of. Especially since this is an industry that does not require a career break after starting a family and having children.

- Women often have a break from work after starting a family. However, they could continue to work in IT because companies are willing to give orders that can be carried out from home. It's a career path that allows you to perform tasks remotely and remain productive without having to interrupt your career," says Sheela Subramanian.

What is important is that in order to start working in IT you don't have to have a degree or technical studies - more important are your interests and determination. In Poland, only half (48.3 percent) of women employed in IT have completed studies in science. 1/3 of them are graduates of social, humanities and art faculties, according to the SW Research report "Women in IT 2018". for the Carrots Foundation. The vast majority (72%) of women employed in the IT industry are satisfied with their work. The plus points include, among others, the amount of earnings and the possibility of remote working.

On the other hand, according to the report, 53% of women employed in IT consider that it is more difficult for them than for men to cope in the new technology industry. Half of them also estimate that they earn less than men in the same positions. However, 76% indicate that the reason for this is the fact that women create constraints on themselves due to prevailing stereotypes and social roles.

- I think that in about 10 years' time around 40 percent of IT employees will be women. This will be a huge increase compared to the current state. In one of the IT companies I worked for, there was only one woman out of ten who was involved in graphic design. She did nothing to do with artificial intelligence or new technologies. Women are probably not yet mature enough to try their hand at it, but they should try to do so in order to develop further," says Sheela Subramanian.

The founder of Femtech also stresses that education in new technologies must start as early as possible, already in kindergartens and primary schools. Especially since, according to World Economic Forum forecasts, 65% of primary school students will in the future work in professions that do not exist yet, which are related to new technologies. Meanwhile, as the EU Kids Online 2018 study shows, 85% of teenagers connect to the network every day or almost every day, but the technology is mostly used passively. 60 percent never created anything with the application. It is therefore important to teach children and young people to make better use of the potential offered by the internet and new technologies.

- It is worthwhile to start learning in this direction already at the school stage - among pupils and preschoolers. The technology is present everywhere - everyone today has a phone or tablet with them, even small children know how to scroll. So we have to start here - teach them how to take advantage of these opportunities," stresses Sheela Subramanian.

The EC report "Women in Digital Age" shows that only 13% of women who graduate from the IT and technology faculties continue to work in their industry. The share of women in the digital sector has not changed significantly over the last decades. This is also confirmed by the Frost&Sullivan report for the ISC and the Centre for Cyber Safety and Education, which shows that women make up only 11% of all employees in the cyber security industry worldwide and this situation will continue from 2013.

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