Back in 2015, the United Nations General Assembly issued a resolution through which it declared February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The objective? To give visibility to the countless efforts around the world that seek to take down the barriers in STEM-related careers that women have to face every day.
Following that sentiment, at BairesDev we see this day as the perfect occasion to celebrate the progress we have made towards closing the gender gap in science and to renew our commitment to that cause. As such, we are once again pledging to challenge the inherent biases in the tech industry and to play our part in helping raise the next generation of talent.
So far, we have done so by instituting hiring practices that guarantee equal opportunities to all applicants, regardless of their gender. Today, with over 1,700 team members in 27 countries, our diverse teams reinforce what we’ve always known to be true: talent does not discriminate. That’s not all. We also have pushed for gender equality by supporting organizations that promote career development for women in science and tech-related fields.
We know that gender equality is a long-standing issue in the IT industry. But BairesDev is focused on progress. Here are a few steps we’re taking to make tech careers and the tech industry as a whole more welcoming to women:
- We encourage our collaborators to refer diverse candidates to us through a strong internal campaign.
- We reward referrals that lead to the successful hiring of female collaborators.
- We established Giveback Program, our semi-annual donations initiative that supports and fundraises Girls in Tech, Code.org, and other organizations that make software development accessible to women by providing tech education and infrastructure.
Of course, we are aware that achieving gender equality in STEM won’t be easy. According to a recent UNESCO report, only 30% of all female students choose STEM-related fields in higher education. The situation is direst in the information and communications technology field, where only 3% of students are women.
Such dramatic stats are what pushed the U.N. towards action. In fact, establishing February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is just a part of a bigger action that seeks to achieve internationally agreed development goals, especially the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, objectives that can only be achieved if we can guarantee gender equality.
That’s why we see February 11th as more than just a simple anniversary. And that’s why we see this day as a great opportunity to take account of the long path we still have to walk until we can achieve gender equality.
Since women and girls are still far from reaching equality in science, it’s important we do so, so we can keep devising new ways to support this important cause. As Rocio Belfiore, BairesDev’s Chief R&D officer, says “it’s important for us to keep moving forward discussing diversity and implementing strategies to ensure it. The moment is ripe for gender diversity to finally be in full swing.”
In other words, the moment to act is right now. Take this International Day of Women and Girls in Science to reflect on that and to check what you can do to fight for gender equality. That’s what we’ll be doing at BairesDev.
