IT lacks new perspectives and diversity. FIT BUT helps open doors for girls

Although IT is now permeating almost all fields and human activities, women and girls still make up a minority in this sector, both in schools and in practice. Yesterday's International Day of Women and Girls in IT reminds us why it is important to change this imbalance and open the way for girls to pursue technical education and careers.

International Day of Women and Girls in IT is a global initiative that takes place every year on the fourth Thursday in April. This year, for the fifteenth time, it draws attention to persistent inequalities in the technology sector. Although there is currently a shortage of tens of thousands of IT specialists in the Czech Republic, and this number will continue to grow with technological developments, the proportion of women working in information technology has long been very low – only around 11%.

Why is this the case? Marta Jaroš, assistant professor and researcher at the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT BUT), and Sára Jobranová, a master's student at FIT BUT, agree that deep-rooted stereotypes are the main obstacle right from the start.

"A lot of people judged me for it or made it clear that IT just 'isn't a field for girls'. As if we should be doing something more delicate, more creative... when creativity is actually very important in IT," says Marta Jaroš.

The starting line is often not the same

Sára Jobranová agrees. "In my experience, our path is a little more difficult at the beginning. When I compare the attitude of those around me to my decision to study at FIT with the attitude towards a close friend from the same high school, everyone supported his choice, while I was often discouraged. And yet we were the same in terms of our studies and interests. Fortunately, once you assert yourself, the negative opinions subside significantly," she adds.

As Marta Jaroš recalls, she had to fight for and defend some things. "I don't think it was a bad thing in the end—it taught me to stand up for myself. But the starting line really isn't the same for everyone. I think these stereotypes are still quite deeply rooted here. But I believe that things are slowly changing—that there is more talk about it and it is becoming more apparent that girls simply belong in IT. But it would be nice if the next generation didn't have to prove it anymore," she says.

Stereotypes also "haunt" girls themselves who might be considering studying or pursuing a career in IT. "I don't think girls are afraid of IT as such. They're more afraid of the idea of sitting at a computer all day and not talking to anyone. But that's a myth—IT is often teamwork full of communication, ideas, and sharing," adds Marta Jaroš.

Together with Sára Jobranová, they agree that another concern is the difficulty of the field. "These concerns are sometimes real. However, any concerns with the silent addition 'because I'm a girl' are definitely misguided. And the rest – you won't find out unless you try," says Sára Jobranová.

Diversity in IT benefits everyone

The low representation of women in IT is not only bad news for the labor market, but also for girls and women themselves, who are missing out on the opportunity to be part of innovation and work on technologies that shape the future. Last but not least, it also harms the industry itself – here, too, diversity is the key to high-quality results, products, and services.

"Women often think differently than men—and that's great. Guys often go into great depth and are able to focus more on one specific problem, while girls think more comprehensively, in context. This can be a big advantage in a team. In addition, women often excel at presentation and documentation – which are absolutely key skills, even if they are sometimes overlooked. Ideally, these different approaches complement each other and everyone brings something a little different to the solution – then development is not only more effective, but also more fun," says Marta Jaroš.

And what is the situation at FIT BUT? Currently, approximately 10% of the 2,500 students at the Faculty of Information Technology at BUT are women. Although this is far from ideal, it is a positive shift – when the faculty was established twenty years ago, women accounted for only around 2% of students, and the number has been growing slowly every year.

Summer School for Girls

FIT VUT is also actively involved in projects supporting girls in technology. One of these is the IT Summer School for Girls – the oldest event of its kind in the Czech Republic, which has already been attended by over 500 participants. Thanks to this, many of them have found their way into information technology. This year, it will take place on August 25–29, and registration is now open. For more information, visit the summer school website.