Women in Tech showcases the women who drive tech
WomeninTechZA is an initiative that aims to help address the gender gap in the ICT sector through advocacy and raising awareness.
Until next time...
We started Women in Tech ZA in 2014 to highlight the talented (and often hidden) women working in technology in South Africa.
In 2015, we found data from the Q2 Labour Force Survey showing that out of 15 million employed people in South Africa, 44% were women. About 218,000 people worked in ICT fields, with 68,859 of them being women, which is 31%. Additionally, there were around 236,000 people in ICT jobs, with 56,511 of them being women, or 23%.
Ten years later and not much has changed. Except that today there are a plethora of initiatives and groups advancing the DEI cause in tech (and other sectors). And, I'm now running a growing PR agency and have just started doing an eMBA.
It is with this in mind that I am retiring WiTZA. We made our point - profiling hundreds of wonderful women, and hosting a full-day tech event in two cities with an all-women lineup in both, in 2018. I'm happy to hand the baton over to those with more time and budget (always the budget issue).
Thank you, all of you, who we have profiled over the years - I wish you strength as we continue to be the vanguard, fighting the good fight, educating our peers and colleagues, and paving the way for the women who will come after us.
Women in tech will always be close to my heart, and I will continue to keep this platform and our social media sites - LinkedIn, X and Facebook - alive as a means to reach the WiTZA network. I am also still available to speak or facilitate conversations on gender diversity in tech.
You can reach me on samantha.perry@gmail.com for any of the above.
Women in Tech South Africa
Women in Tech ZA was founded as a means to showcase the diverse and talented women working in ICT in South Africa. Since its founding, Women in Tech ZA has evolved from purely profiling local women in tech to also raising awareness of how to address the gender gap in the sector. Today Women in Tech ZA participates in outreach and awareness activities - such as speaker slots and media engagements - showcases women in the sector and publishes news and views of relevance to its audience.
Why does Women in Tech exist
Only 23% of tech jobs are held by women in South Africa – out of 236 000 ICT (tech) roles, women occupy 56 000 of them. As a sector, we need to hire women to improve diversity in the workplace (and it’s been proven that higher diversity equals higher productivity and profit). But we cannot find women with the required skills, and we cannot attract young women to the sector because when they look at conferences, in the media and inside technology companies, they mainly see men (who they can’t relate to), doing what they perceive to be ‘boring’ jobs.
Become a Woman in Tech
Click below to register yourself as a Woman in Tech in South Africa. Join a network of hundreds of women who are making an impact and working towards a common goal.
Register profileMeet the Women in Tech
Women in Tech members from the African Continent
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