Women's Technology Empowerment Centre – W.TEC

The Gender Gap

According to a youth survey report issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, in Nigeria young men are almost twice as likely to have a career in computer science and technology-related fields as women.

In Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, women make up on average just 22% of the total number of Engineering and Technology university graduates each year.

According to the same source, women make-up roughly a fifth of the total number of people working in information and communication technology sector.

This disparity starts much earlier when female enrollment in technology and engineering courses of Nigerian higher institutions is lower than men’s. This means men are shaping the technology being developed, while women are largely passive users.

Research has shown that better and more useful tools are created when the developers fully represent the diversity of the societies we live in. In addition, 90% of the jobs in the next 10 years will require technology skills and knowledge. If women are under-represented as technology developers and sophisticated users, we will be left behind in tomorrow’s world.

Research has also shown that early-stage, girl-focused intervention, which continue to nurture this interest through their adolesence and early adulthood are critical in closing this gender gap.

W.TEC’s programmes for girls provide an avenue to increase the numbers of women working in computer science and related fields by making technology careers attractive and dispelling stereotypes of gender-appropriateness of technology via engaging classes, presenting female technical role models and providing access to mentorship.

Learn more about the Gender Digital Gap:
  • What is the Gender Digital Divide, and Why Should it Matter for the SDGs?(IISD / SSD Knowledge Hub) – May 2017
  • Digging into Data on the Gender Digital Divide(World Wide Web Foundation) – Oct. 2016
  • Where are the women in tech?(World Economic Forum) – April 2016