From Stereotypes to Solution: the India Women in Tech chapter

Saakshi from the India Women in Tech chapter speaks out about what prompted her to take action, various stereotypes and problems she noticed in STEM and her journey with the organization Women in Tech.

Q. How did you start the organization? ⭐️

I contacted the founder of Women in Tech asking for more information. After a few weeks, we set up a call discussing the goals of the organization and the next steps. Excited to get started, I soon organized my first event at the college I attend for women in computing.

After planning and working on this event alone, I realized I needed a dedicated and passionate team. I recruited girls in STEM to help me establish the chapter as well as contribute to regional teams so we could reach students from around the world.

For now, we are focusing on scaling virtually hopefully attaining teams across India and once we can successfully grow locally, we plan on expanding our reach to global communities.

Q. Why did you start with this organization? ⭐️

I have noticed there is a real need for female role models due to the large gender gap. A big reason why more girls aren’t in computing is due to a lack of interest which is perpetuated by false stereotypes and the lack of support systems.

I noticed in classes and extracurriculars, girls’ opinions were often silenced and not respected angering me. In my computer science class of 60 students, only 8 were girls. Across all of the classes, there were only 120 girls in 2022 total students (less than 10%).

Throughout India, there was a lack of tech workshops and hackathons overall and the ones that did exist were largely male-dominated. I felt compelled to create something that could empower women in Indian society and encourage them to believe in themselves. Women can contribute so much more to tech than the gender stereotypes often portray them as.

Q. What did you learn from hosting events and workshops?⭐️

• The aim is to look at the bigger picture, hence we must be purpose-driven rather than being plan-driven. We always made sure our events aligned with our mission statement of helping women break into tech.
• Make sure you devote yourself to the cause and not the power position pursuing selfish needs. It can easy to get caught up with titles and positions but it is much more important to focus on the quality of your work and the impact of your organization.
• It is completely fine to take breaks. As humans, we have so much to do every day. Do not overload yourself into planning every minute of every day. Take mental health breaks, it will help keep you sane and produce higher-quality work.
• Seek out advice. Be a beggar when it comes to guidance. Collect each piece of advice someone is offering because you never know how some pieces of advice could help you and save you in certain situations. Good advice is worth its weight in gold and one should actively seek it out.
• Cultivate a group of people who know you well, perhaps including mentors or your trusted friend. These individuals can be especially insightful in pointing out a blind spot or weakness in your thinking, especially when they are not a part of your everyday decision-making process.

For more tips and information, go check out the India Women in Tech chapter takeover on the coding4kids Instagram (@coding4kidsnonprofit). ❤️