#GIRLS : the digital economy belongs to you !

"We want that our communication tools become digital"

I heard this during a client brief in a big French industrial group, and it wasn’t a surprise: former consultant in a communication agency, I am one of those people who know the importance that took the digital economy in our society. However, I think that this sector supposed to be representative of our future does not offer the best reflection of the parity in the work’s world. Even if gender equality is part of development indicators (HDI) promoted by the UN, and even if the french Minister of Digital Economy is a woman (a young one as well), in reality the way which leads us to break the glass ceiling is still long.

I am part of the generation in France that discovered Internet with MSN, with the very first version of Internet Explorer, and with old modem connections doing weird noises. Our children, however, who will be born already identified on Facebook with pictures of their first bath, will be entitled to ask: why did we let the digital economy in the hands of so many men (or so few women)?

The European Union has sounded the alarm in fall 2013, with disturbing figures: of a selection of 1,000 European student girls, there are only 29 who choose a digital section. And over these 29, there are only 4 who eventually find a career in this economy.

However , digital is a growing industry , with a lot of job creations : executives, engineers , entrepreneurs, start -ups ... The companies themselves are struggling to recruit the necessary profiles to develop their digital offer : when I was looking for a job online in France, I was seeing every day more and more positions searched of " Community management " .

So where is the gap? Like many inequalities, I think it comes from education. Too many girls are leaving technical or scientific areas at school, it is a fact. I remember we were 90% of girls in the Arts division back in high school. On the other side, scientific classes had a more even spread of boys and girls. In engineering school, only a few women choose industrial engineering or computer option. Being a “geek” or “neird” is a male’s passion.

Look at Twitter, summoned to feminize its board of directors (7 guys) : very quickly we saw the appointment of Marjorie Scardino , a famous boss from the media's world. Or Facebook, with its director Sheryl Sandberg. But apart from Marissa Mayer (boss of Yahoo), these iconic women do not come from the world of computing.

Finally, I note this: the digital economy sector has become a success in developed countries, so it attracts a predominantly male audience. Of course there are women bloggers (mommy blogs, fashionistas bloggers), women from the media’s world, but they are mostly women involved in the digital economy in its social and conversational side. Which is also known as the traditional women’s side. However, on the technical side, such as developers, engineers, we are still left behind.

So for those who are interested, let’s follow on March 7 the Day of the Digital Woman which will take place in Paris, or at a more international level, the TedX Women which just started.

#Girls, there are places to be taken!

Agathe Ramsamy

Editor in chief at The StandArt, a digital media about art and innovation

Taleem Humara Bhe Haq Hai: Education is our Right Too

Women will always be Women… even in a male chauvinist society. They lag behind in having basic rights in society. Denying girls their education is synonymous with setting up a slave in society. Women constitute half of the population, but socially, politically and economically, a woman is at the mercy of male members. The status of education in Sindh can be gauged from the fact that only 50 percent of children between age groups of five and 15 are enrolled in schools while about 75 percent of the rural girls never attend school, as per a Dawn Report. In the wake of devastating floods, rain wreaked havoc with the infrastructure and brought education standards to the lowest rung.

According to official reports from the Education Ministry, at least 10000 schools have been damaged in Sindh during the floods and rains in 2010 and 2011. Despite the fact that provincial assembly earmarked hefty funds to rehabilitate schools, no steps have been taken yet. The status of girls’ school is at the lowest ebb. Girls’ education has never been the priority of the state’s attention. In Nawasbahsh, which is the hometown of President Asif Ali Zardari, over 200 girls schools were completely damaged during the monsoon. This puts the education of thousands children at stake. Two full years have elapsed since that mishap but no serious efforts are taken by the government yet. Paradoxically, if the hometown of the president of the country depicts such a dismal picture, what would the condition in rest of the country?

Recent surveys conducted by FHRP in collaboration of FAFEN says that due to closure of girls schools, children are confined to their homes since parents prefer them staying at home to sending them to schools in neighboring village or to the Boys’ school. Moreover, many children were found wandering aimlessly in the streets. A girl named Shazia from UC Khadhar said that she along with other girls wanted to seek education, but due to closure of schools they were compelled to do household chores. If such practice continues, the education for girls would be a distant dream.

Sindh Government earmarked 131 billion in 2011-12 and Rs 231 billion in 2012-13 as Annual Development Program (ADP), but it could not rehabilitate the flood affected schools of the province which were destroyed in the face of torrential rains of 2010 shameless to state here that such funds have been swapped with development funds issued to local MPA’s and MNA’s. However, they are already given Rs.1.Crore each year to make development in their respective constituencies.

FHRP is driving campaign to rehabilitate, provide basic facilities and setting up more girls school in District Nawasbhah, the hometown of the president of Pakistan ,and invites Students, people and community in an outside of the country to be part of this campaign. . All are invited to send slogans, drawings, poems, SMS, Podcast, Voicemail or any material in any form to influence the decision makers.

Ashfak Siyal