Need to ensure women’s voice in tech, says Union Minister Smriti Irani
At an event organised by FICCI and FLO, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani highlighted the need for making science and tech adaptive towards women.
Speaking at the event, "Women in Tech: Charging New Frontiers, Breaking Gender Stereotypes", jointly organised by FICCI and FLO's 'Empowering the Greater 50%' initiative and the Embassy of Spain, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani highlighted the need for making science and tech adaptive towards women.
"One of the greatest challenges we see for female scientific minds is their transition from technological educational institutions to positions of research. Science is not a man's game, not a women's game; it is everybody's game," she said.
The event marked the launch of the FICCI Women in Science and Entrepreneurship (WISE) Council, aimed to provide mentorship for women, advocate for them on Board positions, and anchor industry and investment linkages for women entrepreneurs. An online pledge campaign urging corporates to encourage women in STEM was also released that had already received 130 corporate signatories.
In addition, the event also saw the launch of the "Donate a Laptop" campaign for girl students in need of digital access.
Speaking on the occasion, Subhrakant Panda, Senior Vice President of FICCI and Managing Director of IMFA, stated the importance of raising women's participation in the workforce for greater economic growth. He stated that globally only 35 percent of students studying STEM are women. "Empowering women is not just the choice of the right thing; it is a necessity because it is about improving outcomes, investing in healthier communities and stronger economies", he said.
Dr Sangita Reddy, former President of FICCI and Chair of FICCI FLO Empowering the Greater 50%, added that India produces the highest number of female graduates in STEM but ranks 19th in employing them. “It’s because of women's participation in the upcoming and critical field of technology that we have decided to give this pursuit of STEM, a push through the FICCI WISE Council", she said.
Deputy Executive Director of UN Women and former Ambassador of India, Amb Lakshmi Puri, said, "What we need to do is to create and foster an ecosystem that nourishes the interest, talent and intellectual capital of girls and women in STEM education and training careers to address the structural barriers and gaps.”
Inmaculada Riera, the Director-General of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, stated that India and Spain should work more closely to improve market access and deepen economic relations, focusing on facilitating businesswomen.
Edited by Kanishk Singh