International Women's Day 2023: Envisions of an Equitable Society for All

“Today we see efforts being made by companies and the government to increase the representation of women in the tech industry. Worldwide, only 33% of women are researchers and about 22% of them work in advanced technology streams such as artificial intelligence, machine learning etc. This tells us that we still have work to do in making women pick and stick to STEM fields.

To create a more inclusive tech sector, we need to motivate the next generation of women to pursue and develop their careers in technology and inspire them to become leaders. There is a need to retain women who are already in technology, attract more girls to STEM and sustain their interest. This will demand time, efforts, action and support and equal opportunity for women in the industry and women tech leaders who can be catalysts for a new generation of women aspiring for a career in the industry.”

“AI & Technology are revolutionizing the way we work. But I think Diversity manifests itself in both invisible and visible ways. With Chat GPT revolutionizing the world, concerns of steady careers are on the rise. Embracing equity requires a deeper understanding of diversity and its many hues. It also demands that we realize many of us are at elevated echelons of privilege than others. This realization then translates to enabling inclusion – through policies and practices, through correction of systemic inequities and a demonstration of true allyship and advocacy. An Indian Woman Professional (IWP) requires a combination of enablers – from government-lead to organizations’ innovative initiatives to sustain women talent, and the most important being individual-lead, which is career intentionality.”