Celebrating International Women’s Day 2023

With 2023’s UN Women theme for International Women’s Day being DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality, software developer Meng Xu spoke to us about the topic.

I would love to share my thoughts from a female software developer's point of view on how innovation and technology can help promote gender equality.

1. It paves the way for new education and career opportunities for women and girls in technology. E.g., Online learning platforms such as Coursera and Udemy offer a variety of technology and software development courses that can be accessed from anywhere, at any time. This provides women with greater access to education and training in the field, leading to better job opportunities.
   
   
2. It decreases the gender gap in the field and gives women access to more resources and networks to enhance their chances of success. Virtual, such as online forums and social media groups, allow for more opportunities that can connect women in the technology industry from all over the world. This provides a platform for women to exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and find mentors and sponsors.
   
   
3. It enables remote work, which can help women balance work and family responsibilities more efficiently. With remote work options, women can work from home or other locations outside of the office, reducing the need for commuting and providing greater flexibility.

Overall, innovation and technology have the potential to significantly impact gender equality in the industry by increasing the representation of women in the field and creating more supportive and flexible work environments.

Another of 2023's themes is #EmbraceEquity. Here are more thoughts on International Women’s Day from other members of the Centra Team:

As a female software developer, I am happy to work in a field that gives access to online learning platforms to improve my knowledge and also share ideas and solutions to problems. We also don’t always need to be in office and can handle our work remotely. My female friends in this field, especially the ones who have kids, are happy to save their time and spend more of it with their children.

Bahareh Fahimian – Software Developer

To me, it’s the idea that a WOMAN can be a sales person. As a young girl, I didn’t think women could be in sales until I met a few women doing really well in the field. After this, I decided I wanted to try it as well. I’m very happy to be with a company who not only hires women in sales, but also supports them, helping them thrive & become successful.

Shira Hick – Sales Estimator

This year, International Women’s Day is more important to me than ever before. In years past, it was a time to remember the struggles and hurdles that women have overcome, and to seek out ways that I could personally contribute to helping move us forward. I remember learning in school about how different life was for women in the not-so-distant past. I couldn’t imagine having to ask a man’s permission in order to wear my hair a certain way, nor could I really understand why a woman would have any different rights than a man did. We are all humans after all, so shouldn’t it be the same for everyone? It was unbelievable to me that there was a time that a woman couldn’t make basic decisions about her own body, or why women hadn’t always been allowed to vote. I was fortunate that I had never lived in a time when women’s suffrage was not a reality. Roe v. Wade had been in place my entire life, ensuring me the ability to make choices about my own body. I remember the adoration I felt for the women who had to fight for those things that I had never had to go without. While I was truly amazed by what those women had lived through and overcome, I couldn’t imagine living in those times myself.  I certainly never would have dreamed that I would have to explain to my own teenage daughter why she now must grow up in a world where some of those rights have been taken away, and others remain threatened.

The excitement of seeing what new obstacle women have overcome over the year and where we are headed has been replaced with finding a way to make a difference in the fight to get back the rights I had as a child, and to try to prevent the loss of others. This year, our family focus is on education. We are stressing to our children that knowledge is the best weapon they will ever have. We talk about how it is important to be aware of what is happening in the world around you, and how your personal actions impact that world. They are learning how to make sure the companies we choose to support with our money also support causes that are just and fair. I want to make sure they understand how incredibly vital it is that we not stay silent about injustice and inequity we see in the world around us. My hope is that this next generation of women will once again never know a time in their lives where they had to fight for basic rights.

Darrah Mitchell - Customer Care Agent