As a new edition of International Women's Day is commemorated, the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technology (Cuti) renews its commitment to promote greater female integration in companies in the sector. "This is a cultural problem. Women do not consider that the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry is for them and we need to change that idea," said Andrea Mendaro, General Manager of the business association.
According to data from the Chamber's latest Annual Report on the IT sector, 19 out of every 100 management positions are held by women and 81 by men. The ratio is exactly the reverse when looking at service assistant positions. In terms of jobs held by professionals, the female share is 32 out of 100, while in administrative positions it is 79%.
"This is not because companies do not want to hire women. On the contrary, they are eager to add them and to count on their creativity and their stamp. But there are not enough professional women in this field," added Mendaro, who pointed out that this problem starts in childhood. "Girls are given a doll and boys a puzzle game. How can they believe that a career in engineering is for girls? They don't even think about it," she said.
To change this reality, Cuti promotes various initiatives in high schools and universities, aimed at promoting the entry of more women to the various educational options in the technology sector. In addition, the union joined "Girls in Tech (GIT)", a global non-profit organisation that seeks to engage, educate and empower women in the technology and entrepreneurship sector.
"Today, there is a strong presence of women on Cuti's Board of Directors, and they are gaining ground. From there we seek to raise awareness and accompany the various actors involved in the process. We know that it is progressive and we will continue working to improve it," concluded Mendaro.
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