Women used to be undervalued in IT careers since they were thought to be exclusively for men. It took years to overcome this issue and show that women can succeed in the IT industry. Today, more Ukrainian women and girls seek to advance in fields like data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The strongest teams of developers are made up of both men and women in the most successful IT organizations. In Ukraine, women make up about 25% of the IT workforce, while about 30% of women hold executive roles in businesses. Sergey Tokarev, founder of Roosh and an IT entrepreneur, offered strategies for advancing women in Ukrainian IT.
More women are being hired for their dream jobs, which is having an impact on the current state of the IT sector. Over the past ten years, there have been a lot more women working in IT. Nonetheless, a sizable portion of them is cautious in their decision-making out of fear of not being accepted. This mindset has emerged as a result of society’s incorrect estimation of stereotypes. Many people, according to Sergey Tokarev, still think that Technology is not for women. Some people even believe that women can only choose IT to find a life spouse and can only become HR or QA testers. But it’s time to dispel these myths and show what potential women can offer to the nation.
The investor in Reface finds practical strategies to assist women in achieving IT and succeeding, considering jumpstart to be the most difficult step for them.
It is a reality that Ukraine lacks experts in data science, cybersecurity, AI, and machine learning. Yet, female professionals who desire to enter the high-tech industry and raise the nation’s IT standard can fill this deficit. The only thing left to do is to involve as many women and girls as possible and assist them in selecting the field in which they wish to advance.
Sergey Tokarev emphasizes that thematic communities and clubs are effective motivators in light of this. For instance, the industry’s like-minded girls are gathered through the project SHE is SCIENCE. Participants can thus gain more knowledge about the impact 12 female scientists have had on Ukrainian IT. Kateryna Yushchenko, a programmer who created a formal language for addressable programming, and Olga Perevozchikova, a participant in the establishment of state programming standards in Ukraine, are among them.
To encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM, the non-profit organization STEM is FEM created the initiative SHE is SCIENCE. It intends to introduce girls to actual tech role models. STEM is FEM has made free IT classes available just to girls between the twelves and sixteens with the assistance of Oracle and the Swiss organization Empowerment Lab. Data-driven web apps, machine learning, and app prototyping classes are available to participants. Women in IT are the course instructors.
According to Sergey Tokarev, it is crucial to offer instructional resources in addition to an informational approach. Girls can pursue further education in the field in which they are most interested as a result. SET University only provides technology courses and caters to teenagers. Boys and girls are both welcome. The university intends to establish female student scholarship programs to inspire girls.
Sergey Tokarev emphasizes the significance of helping women and making additional chances to advance their talents known, in addition to involving IT groups and higher education institutions. Professional communities are a good place to start. For instance, AI HOUSE is a project designed to bring together and arrange training for foreign and Ukrainian IT experts.
