Photo credit: Eya Ben Nejm – Journalist

Article written by Eya Ben Nejm – Journalist

Discrimination and gender inequalities in the world of innovation and technology are not uncommon. In Quebec, only engineering schools count 23% by women. On International Women’s Day, the University of Ottawa (U of O) Women’s Resource Center invited three panellists to discuss gender equality in these areas.

This discussion took place in the U of O’s Colonel By building between Sawsan Abdul-Majid, Vidya Shankarnarayan and Kimberly Nault. The conference aimed to normalize the presence of women in science, as women often are discarded. The conference also looked at the changes caused by technology and their impact on gender inequalities.

Feel out of place

Jesus Napoles, a former U-of-O international development student and now a public servant with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, decided to attend the conference to share women’s experiences in “a world meant for men, to understand. In fact, Abdul-Majid, an engineer doctor and professor at U of O, says that while there is a small percentage of women in this specialty, there is paid less.

Nault, a researcher at Telfer, says she’s had trouble finding a supervisor for her master’s. The excellence of other students in this field made her doubt. She explains that she felt “not doing as well as the other students”. During her studies, she found that she had the same skills as her peers, she adds.

While working in government, Nault noticed a difference in behavior once she started wearing them headscarf. She explains that even though she’s Canadian, she’s received derogatory remarks like “go back to your country.” However, she points out that she has not experienced this abuse from the university, which has adequately assessed her skills and knowledge, she emphasizes.

Given his colleague’s experience, Shankarnarayan recalls the importance of speaking up “when you face discrimination or harassment, whether in the private or public sector”. Although it’s difficult, it’s important to express yourself with resources available, she adds.

Make spaces more inclusive

As a course organiser, it is important to Napoles to listen to the experiences and methods of the panelists in order to promote a healthy learning environment for all. Apart from the university, gender inequalities in the field are combated by the Board of Canadian Society of Women in Science and Technology. The latter encourages women to study natural sciences with the help of offers such as mentoring.

Other projects are being created to promote justice in this area. For example, the federal government has launched the initiative “30 out of 30to help women pursue careers in engineering, says Dr. Abdul Majid. Salary disparity aside, she points out that engineering jobs aren’t the highest-paying in computer science compared to programmers and developers. Despite it all, the doctor has developed a program to encourage and help young women to get involved in the community, she proudly proclaims. Today, various companies are trying to recruit female graduates from the program to increase the number of women on their teams, she adds.

Nault recommends female students to “be bold and let their personality shine through, whether they’re the only women in the room or not, and keep pushing forward.” Despite her imposter syndrome, the researcher encourages everyone to try their luck to take advantage of any opportunities. what dr As for Abdul-Majid and Shankarnarayan, they encourage students to use resources such as mentoring and the use of professors and assistants to achieve success and overcome prejudice.