23 April Kathmandu, 2020
Today is Girls in ICT Day. The day is celebrated every fourth Thursday of April. Various organizations and agencies conduct multiple programs on this day. We, too, tried to know the situation of girls in the Nepalese ICT sector. So, we asked a few questions to some people involved in ICT.
Pratima Adhikari:
This name doesn’t need any introduction among Nepali tech audiences. If you’re a tech enthusiast and follow Nepali tech portals, we believe you know her. She’s a video editor and presenter at Gadgetbyte. She’s actively working in the tech sector since 2017. Here’s how she answered our questions.
Q. How’s the presence of girls in ICT in the context of Nepal?
A: It’s growing. Girls are much larger in number in the tech industry these days in Nepal and all over the world. Though we don’t see a lot of girls presenting in tech videos and such, there are a lot of girls working for the tech industry. Some are AI engineers; some are developers, etc. Overall I would say it’s growing at a good pace.
Q. What are the challenges for girls in the Tech sector?
A: These days, I don’t think there are a lot of challenges. However, there still exists a notion that girls are better off being in the management sector or doctors or nurses. Still, on today’s date, ICT has proven to be an equally fulfilling industry with the growth of Internet penetration. However, there are still some people who think tech is a guy’s job, but they will change with time.
On a personal level, though, my family and friends have been very supportive of me joining this industry even though I come from a management background.
But in general, its basically family norms and values add pressure.
Q. What can be done for the easy access of more girls to the tech sector?
A:
- I always believe that if you don’t work for yourself, none else will. So, in the beginning, girls who want to join tech should take a stand for themselves.
- Awareness can play a vital role. When a student is done with their SEE exams, colleges need to give proper direction to students rather than just providing emphasis on high-grade students to go for science studies. There needs to be an equal flow of information.
- Society needs to be more open and supportive of girls choosing IT.
- On a government level, maybe IT students (girls) could get some sort of benefits.
Q. What do you see the challenges of tech blogging in Nepal? (not specified to girls)
A: There are lots of difficulties of tech blogging in Nepal. Some of them are;
1. Lack of first-hand information sources. Our sources are international tech media.
2. I think, in Nepal, there aren’t a lot of core tech-centric audience as well. The number of such viewers is rising, though.
3. Tech blogging is not a mainstream profession. The few ones who are doing it, not all, are just doing that. Most of them are doing it as a hobby or part-time job. That happens because the tech companies mostly do not keep tech media on priority. Tech companies are just mass centric, so they prefer traditional media for information flow.
Q. What do you want to say on today’s day, ‘Girls in ICT Day’?
A: I just want to say (to girls) that things have changed. There is no need to be skeptical regarding how the tech industry will treat you because, from my experience, it is very welcoming and has a good future for all. Also, since tech keeps on getting better, opportunities keep getting better. Also, we should be the ones to bring change.
Sashya Paudel:
Sashya is a content writer at Gadgets in Nepal. We asked the same questions to her too. Here’s what she replied.
Q. How’s the presence of girls in ICT in the context of Nepal?
A: In the context of Nepal, there aren’t as many girls as guys, but the people and the environment are very supportive.
Q. What are the challenges for girls in the Tech sector?
A: There are a lot of challenges because you ultimately have to work twice as hard to prove yourself in this field due to the stereotypes, but as you do, the hard work pays off, and people do appreciate you for your talents and creativity.
Q. What can be done for the easy access of more girls to the tech sector?
A: Well, communication is a must because there are girls who need a job, and there are vacancies too, but they do not know about them. And girls should be given equal opportunities and paid equally as guys in the field.
Also, I would love to add that all they should be given is also a chance to prove themselves.
Q. What do you see the challenges of tech blogging in Nepal? (not specified to girls)
A: Tech bloggers do have to face a lot of challenges because I have seen a lot of talented people who are driven to this field, and they also have very admirable creativity, but we don’t get the kind of learning that we want.
We always want to have the opportunity of learning from the best, and we are focused continuously toward taking the initiative, but we hardly get to be the voice.
Q. What do you want to say on today’s day, ‘Girls in ICT Day’?
A: I am very honored for this opportunity, and I also would like to thank the men in this field who support girls in this field. Also, I would like to tell all the girls to go for it. We as girls have so many dreams, so many places we want to go, so many heights we want to achieve, but there are always going to be some kind of obstacles, but all we have to do is focus on our goals and follow our hearts and believe in our voices.
Sumi Prajapati:
Sumi Prajapati is the content manager at ICT Byte. Check out her replies to the same questions.
Q. How’s the presence of girls in ICT in the context of Nepal?
A: In the context of Nepal, if we look at the present, the involvement of girls has increased compared to before.
Different events, webinars, and support from various NGOs and INGOs have helped them for self-belief and confidence.
On the other hand, although they’re involved, very few numbers of girls are only active in frontline positions.
- What are the challenges for girls in the Tech sector?
-For me, It’s not that challenging as my family has been supportive since childhood. They have always supported me with my interests and the path I have chosen.
Generally, I have seen for girls, its hard at the initial level to pave their path and prove themselves when they enter the professional world. Once you get involved with the right opportunity, people will start to appreciate your talent, and it’s easy.
Another main challenge can be the self believe upon themselves and the environment they get in the tech industry.
2. What can be done for the easy access of more girls to the tech sector?
Well, I would say opportunity is the one to make more involvement of girls. They should be given more opportunities to prove themselves. If not better, they are equal, so they should be given more chances.
I would like to add one more thing: Family and society play an important role in their involvement. So society must think of them as equally competitive and capable as everymen.
So more flow of information and awareness is a must in our Nepali society.
3. What do you see the challenges of tech blogging in Nepal? (not specified to girls)
There are lots of challenges. Mentioning some of them:
-We have very few numbers of tech-specific audience. Even if we get some, it’s a challenge for us to keep them engaged.
-The Tech industry and digitalization in Nepal are still growing. So, it’s challenging to maintain sustainability and uniqueness.
-Another can be a lack of a source of information. Generally, we had to take a reference from international media.
4. What do you want to say on today’s day, ‘Girls in ICT Day’?
Girls in ICT day is worth a celebration to appreciate all the inspiring female tech leaders. It feels good when a female gets equal appreciation and opportunities concerning boys. No offense, I would like to say Girls believe in yourself, we are equally competitive and better than we think. Lastly, I would like to thank all inspiring female leaders and welcome to the new ones.