The Word of mAn[S]o0r

In my tribute to World Womans Day i thought i'd post this. I came across this article recently, and thought it would interest a dear friend of mine. She just started working in the IT field, and from what i can see so far... this article really suits her. So i thought i'd share it with the rest of the world too. This lead me to read this article here of what women want in IT.

Basically, it outlines why there are so little women in IT field in Austrailia. I thought i'd dabble on it with my (limited) knowledge of women in IT in Pakistan.

From the software houses i've seen so far, and from the women studying in IT i meet, the results agree with Ella's article. Many think IT is still just programming (and they're not wrong.. in many places it still is) and dont have any clue as to what other careers they have in the field. Nowadays though, many of my female friends are joining as QA engineer's at various places, so atleast thats a viable career.

On the otherside, many software houses here do work ungodly hours... working a 12 hour day is normal.. and anything less seems like being unproductive. Many girls here do have restrictions as to how long they can stay out, so thats another factor. Then comes the fact that many girls just study in IT, so that they have a Bachelors degree and can get married (sorry girls, but there are a lot of you out there ! you know who you are !!!!!). First it used to be bachelors in arts or philosophy, medicine or even phsycohology... now its IT and management. Then, theres the issue of the exclusive "boys club"... which seemingly plots against the girls to get them fired... and lastly.. the issue of sexual harrasment in the work place. In Pakistan, i havent seen much 'against' it, while a lot of offices do seem to condone it (under wraps ofcourse) especially with the secretarial staff.

This reminds me to this talk show on Hum TV called Maachis. Its basically a local version of Jerry Springer, Muary and the like (but focus more on actual issues rather than 'whos the daddy?' and 'who stole whos boyfriend'. And one of the issues was a secretary getting fired because she wouldnt accept her bosses 'gifts', while another one prospering cuz she would accept rides, gifts and treats. What was disturbing was the attitude of the new female secretary's mother.... "if thats what it takes to have a job, then i tell my daughter to go along with it." !!! Another off topic point but too interesting not to make.


Technorati Tags: women in IT, jobs, pakistan, karachi