In this sector, women's empowerment is a reality and constitutes an encouragement and an incentive for the new generations. Picture: Archive

The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development makes the sector of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) be the field that encourages the construction of more inclusive societies, an aspect where female participation is indispensable to bridge the current gender gap.

“It's important to become creators rather than to be consumers”, Lidia Hidalgo said to Granma. She is the network operations vice president in the Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A., an entity where out of all its workers, 45 % are women and 40 % of the main positions are represented by females.

In this regard, she added that our country has attained a culture where the role of executive and technical-professional women is recognized on equal terms, and the working groups made up of women are more productive, steady and creative.

According to Ms. Hidalgo, main challenges lie in the continuous transformation of a sector daily changing, and whose field is extremely large. “Hence involving them in activities directly related to operation, technological solutions and maintenance, pose other challenges to them such as at the same time having family responsibilities, taking care of their children, educating them, as well as spending hours out of home which this profession entails”.

To girls – she expressed– I recommend to take the different courses offered in long-distance platforms for introduction and training; and to teenage girls, in search of their vocation, I recommend to approach educational centers such as the University of Informatics Sciences and the Technological University of Havana during their open days.

The engineer in Telecommunications and Electronics – with 30-year experience in ICT sector whether working or studying– specified that “today we are in an era where many of created positions are related to digital transformation and for this purpose, we are also required to transform perception”.

Currently, there are innovation projects covering all the fields in the country: in automation and control for agriculture, in biomedicine, applications for e-commerce and e-banking, long-distance education. “Challenge lies in continue involving girls in so as these growth opportunities are materialized with a reduction of the gender gap”.

“ALL CAPACITIES AND SKILLS TO WORK IN ICTs”

For Grisel Reyes León, acting as Vice Minister of Communications poses, as main challenge, “adequately manage time to fulfill all of my executive responsibilities, without neglecting my condition of mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend”.

Cuban teenage girl connected to Internet at Paseo del Prado. Picture by: Juvenal Balán

She added “as women we have all the capacities and skills to work in it. We, in general, are curious, passionate, dreamers, creative, and like solving riddles. These are very valuable qualities to succeed in these professions. We are also pretty empathetic, responsible and tenacious. So performing in managerial activities is also an opportunity”.

From the vision of the country – she stated– the Government and the State promote inclusive policy allowing both girls and boys, equal rights of access to and use of technologies, as well as their involvement in studying related-professions.

Decree-law 370/2018, “On Cuba's Transition to a Digital Society”, provides that the State must promote development and use of Technologies to foster integration and management of society digitalization-related processes. Article 36 refers to the inclusion of E-government topics in all the teaching levels and Article 58 specifies Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education, in coordination with Ministry of Communications (MINCOM, for its acronym in Spanish), should promote research, development, innovation and production in ICTs.

In 1987 and based on an idea of our Commander-in-chief, it was created the Computation and Electronics Youth Clubs in every municipality throughout the country and even in a great number of all settlements where a moving modality has been implemented. They are facilities where trained instructors provide services to girls and boys equally and contribute to develop skills and have vocation for these technologies.

Likewise, the Union of Computer Scientists of Cuba (UIC, for its acronym in Spanish) is also a mechanism helping guidance and vocational education by sharing experiences from successful professionals in the industry and have, in seven provinces, a project of laboratories of citizens' participation.

Nowadays, the International Girls in ICT Day is a special and emotive moment of approaching schools, kindergartens, girls and boys in general, in which basic knowledge are imparted through contests, activities and competitions, all related to the use of technologies.

In terms of actions, the Vice Minister told that, with the recently constituted Gender Committee in MINCOM, they are carrying out a diagnosis which will allow to conceive its gender strategy with actions to bring girls closer to technologies in such a way as to allow to bridge the gaps identified.

In the same way, we are considering the establishment of Infants Little Houses which undoubtedly will constitute rooms where from early ages girls could approach  technologies and we are also making a project of policy on childhood and youth care in Cuba, planning as a strategic line related to the use of ICTs.

Improving education and digital skill development, including the topics related to their responsible and critical use; increasing the development and use of national platforms of contents and services, with emphasis on audiovisuals and video games directed to this public breaking the colonizing and predominant model of Internet use; developing projects for the childhood and youth prioritized care, including the disabled; and widening the Cuban software industry's participation in this endeavor, are only some of the actions.

The best way of demonstrating how much it has been done and it is made in Cuba for women's emancipation and gender equity is that in our sector –characterized worldwide by a high male presence– today we have a minister, two vice ministers, two presidents of business organizations, the president of UIC which is made up of professionals interested in ICTs and the secretary general of the National Union of workers in this sector.

This –she pointed out– to mention only a few decision-making positions of top-level since we also have several women managing companies and in positions at intermediate level; that is, women's empowerment in this sector, is a reality and constitutes a stimulus and an incentive for the new generations.