“Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2022″ presents the latest evidence on gender equality across all 17 Goals, calling out the long road ahead to achieve gender equality. It emphasizes the interlinkages among the goals, the pivotal force gender equality plays in driving progress across the SDGs, and women and girls’ central role in leading the way forward.” The world is nowhere close to achieving the targets set for 2030; however, efforts are in full swing and will require collaboration and cooperation at all levels. Working with diverse teams and implementing inclusive work practices is what we need to keep up with the ever-evolving business landscape.
Organizations around the globe are now seeking to increase the number of women employees or at least balance the ratio alongside their male counterparts, to inculcate creativity, a multidimensional approach, and empathetic leadership that is critical for progress and growth. Women in Pakistan are actively working with SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing), a multinational organization that is the leading producer of software for the management of business processes. SAP-Pakistan has collaborated with various private and public-sector organizations and is an active contributor to the digital transformation of the country.
Simultaneously, technological advancements have encouraged women to acquire technical expertise and be a part of the digital disruption. While globally, the number of women in tech is rising, Pakistan, being a developing economy, must keep up with these trends and practices by ensuring that an increasing number of women join the tech sector. According to a survey conducted by P@SHA, the Gender Diversity Ratio of companies is at an average of 16.7 percent, while in ICT and STEM, only, 14 percent of Computer Science graduates who are employed are women, as opposed to 83 percent of men. To break this stereotype, a great example can be seen in Pakistan, where the women in the workforce are charting a successful trajectory by being actively involved in designing and providing software solutions. Female consultants specialize in various modules such as Finance, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, and Customer Relationship Management. They provide expertise and assistance in implementing and customizing tech solutions for different organizations.
Working with diverse teams and implementing inclusive work practices is what we need to keep up with the ever-evolving business landscape.
Aisha Hafeez, currently working at Pakistan Beverages Limited, is a certified Quality Management Consultant. She has been associated with the field of technology for the last 9 years and continues to make a difference in her field of expertise. At work, she is responsible for designing a quality control program where they oversee the production process, perform quality tests, write findings in a report, and based on the findings, improve the quality of the company’s products.
Female Project Managers are becoming trailblazers inspiring other women to follow in their footsteps; Huma Tabbasum is one such individual, working at Highnoon Laboratories Limited, leading all ERP projects organization-wide, for the last two years. She is responsible for overseeing the implementation of projects, coordinating within teams, managing timelines and budgets, and ensuring successful project delivery. Faiza Irshad, Sales and Distribution Business Analyst at Tapal Tea Private Limited analyzes business requirements, gathers user specifications, and configures systems accordingly. She collaborates with stakeholders to design and implement solutions that align with organizational needs.
Women can be seen playing a key role in training and educating individuals to use technology for the digital transformation of their respective organizations. They are involved in customizing and developing technical solutions within their workplace. They may work as trainers, conducting workshops and certification programs, or as educators in universities and educational institutions offering tech-related courses. Similarly, they are also involved in support and maintenance roles, providing technical assistance, and troubleshooting for various systems. Their job roles ensure the smooth functioning of applications, address user issues, and perform system upgrades and patches. Shaista Sualeh Qamar, a seasoned Consultant, acquired her basic training at Siemens and has been associated with the IT sector for more than 22 years. She has been training individuals and groups of professionals to shift from their traditional work processes to more advanced and efficient SAP systems. Primarily engaged with the HR function, Shaista feels; “Technology has immense room for growth, especially for women, since tech-based jobs offer flexible work hours and work-from-home arrangements, which allows women to attend to their children as well as cater to other domestic responsibilities.”
Talking of accomplished female leadership in the IT sector of Pakistan, we must mention Maheen Rahman and Fatima Asad Said who have contributed significantly. Maheen Rahman, Chief Executive Officer, InfraZamin Pakistan; was featured on Fortune’s “40 Under 40’s Women to Watch” list in 2015. Speaking at the Future Summit held recently in Karachi, she emphasized the importance of integrating technology with business and said, “Access to capital especially for tech entrepreneurship is something that will be very critical towards developing women workforce as more productive in the entire ecosystem.”
Fatima Asad Said, Chief Executive Officer, Abacus Consulting Technology Limited; leads an innovative team with exceptional leadership and dedication. She is passionate about digital transformation and strongly believes, “It is also important to rethink reality which means transforming our approach towards the changing paradigms.”This is a good start to the technological journey that women in Pakistan need. The future is all about technology and upskilling, engaging in professional development is the only way forward to shape the future. Skill-based training for university students is another initiative toward progress. Challenges will always be there, but efforts are being made to promote gender diversity and inclusion in the IT industry, including leadership roles, to ensure equal opportunities.
The writer is a freelance contributor. She writes about technology, education and social issues. She can be reached at hadiazaid2021@gmail.com