DigiGirlz seeks to awaken the interest to break paradigms and dismiss stereotypes associated with gender and age by having more women choose a scientific major.
The initiative is aimed at ninth through eleventh grade students. The activities exposed the need to involve women in the academy and in the labor market of science, technology and mathematics.
Data from the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives (Cinde) indicate that the areas with the greatest demand for employment are in engineering.
According to Hipatia, technological platform developed by the State of the Nation program, women are barely 26% of the professionals in Computing, 32% in industrial engineering, 11% in electrical and electronic engineering, and 7% in mechanical engineering.
During the activity, the participants listen to different testimonies of women with inspiring life stories, like Gina Ugalde. She commented on her effort to combine her role as a mother with her studies.
Ingrid Fernández recounted her experience in work environments led by men, the way she has handled this situation and what she has done to excel.
We want more and more young women to become empowered and pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), with which they can solve any situation that concerns them, from finding solutions to climate change, to finding a cure against cancer,”
said Thania Segura, General Manager of Microsoft Central America, the company that organizes the activity.
It is estimated that currently 95% of jobs include technology, so it is necessary to promote digital skills in childhood and youth.