A Firebase expert, Mariam Aslam shared how she felt when she got shortlisted for the programme. “I was really happy as it was literally a dream come true for me. My hard work of one year had finally paid off. Words couldn’t express my excitement. I was literally jumping in joy on the bed and telling my family that I got selected as GDE,” said Mariam.
Unlike Aqsa, Mariam believes that the government has taken some ‘great’ initiatives for women in tech programmes. She said, however, that the government should also focus on job placement for women working in the IT sector.
Taley’a Mirza had already been working in different communities for developers for the last two to three years when one of her mentors asked her to apply for Google’s GDE programme.
Speaking of the challenges she faced, Taley’a said that it was really important to have sound knowledge of the domain one was applying for in the GDE programme. She believes that if someone had all the required knowledge and the passion to serve the community, he/she must apply for the programme.
Discrimination and lack of awareness
Taley’a attributed the lack of female representation to many families not allowing their daughters to study in co-education institutes and pursue careers. “Unfortunately there are some institutes that do not give admissions to women in tech programmes. This is the level of discrimination that women have to deal with. The government can raise awareness about programmes such as GDE to ensure that the students grow as professionals and learn more skills,” added Taley’a.
Taley’a is not alone in voicing the concerns for lack of female representation in the IT sector. While the country has made some strides regarding female participation, it still has a long way to go.
GDE programme
There are nearly 700 people in Google’s GDE programme — a “global network of highly experienced technology experts, influencers and thought leaders” — of whom 161 are women. Eleven of these GDEs are from Pakistan, including the four women.
Google has said it aims to focus on developing, progressing and retaining these women leaders. More female leaders mean more role models for young women and girls, which is critical if gender parity is to be achieved. The company has built a global employee network for females called ‘[email protected]’, where along with mentoring opportunities, the women are also provided with a chance to grow and connect with women from other parts of the world.
It is not the first time that a tech giant has expanded the scope of women entrepreneurship in Pakistan. Facebook also worked in collaboration with the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lahore Division, in 2019 with an aim to help women grow their businesses by training them.
