The lack of women in technological careers, which currently account for 12% of technology undergraduates enrolled in Spain, was the subject in the last episode of the podcast “Despacho 42”, produced by the UOC Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications.
GenTIC director Milagros Sáinz was interviewed as an expert on gender and technology. In a comprehensive interview, Milagros Sáinz talked with UOC professors César Córcoles, Daniel Riera and Susanna Tesconi about the root causes of the low presence of women in technological fields and how to confront persistent gender inequalities.
Milagros Sáinz highlighted that education and gender socialization condition the expectations and motivations of boys and girls. On the other hand, the media, video games, and fiction series help to the spread of a sexist imaginary that contributes to perpetuating gender roles and stereotypes.
In Milagros Sáinz’s view, showing female role models and making visible the contributions of women in scientific and technological fields, as well as their social impact both throughout history and nowadays, is essential to combat these stereotypes. The visibility of women’s contributions should not be punctual but integrated into the entire educational curriculum and sustained over time to provide with realistic female role models that can inspire girls and boys throughout life.
Finally, the director of GenTIC emphasized the possibilities and risks that artificial intelligence and big data pose to move forward or backwards in terms of gender equality. Milagros Sáinz affirmed that it is essential to address ethical aspects with a gender perspective in the design of new technologies and to integrate gender issues in data science from the perspective of different disciplines and areas of knowledge.
Listen to the podcast “Despacho 42”: