Why do we need to focus and support Hispanic Women in Technology (WiT)?
According to Statistics Canada, 1 in every 5 women was born outside Canada. In Toronto alone, more than half of women are immigrants. Spanish is the third most common language among female immigrants who had a mother tongue other than English and French. Given Hispanotech’s mission “to help Hispanic professionals to integrate and advance their careers in Canada”, it is not surprising that it has a team dedicated to empowering female Hispanic professionals in technology. When offered with the opportunity to form part of the Board of Directors to support WiT, I immediately said yes!
My passion about helping women in tech, started after I graduated from University and got my first job. While I was a computer engineering student it was “normal” to be the only woman on a group of students. When I got a job in a big Telecom and was denied the opportunity to join the Radio Frequency Engineering team because “women should not be allowed to climb radio antennas” I was shocked. This was the trigger for me to make a conscious effort to ensure I would contribute to build workplaces where women would have the same opportunities as anybody else.
Then I became an immigrant and the equation got even more complicated. In my opinion, immigration is one of the most amazing opportunities that any human being can have: it makes your personal growth increase exponentially. Canada stands out from the places I have lived, as the one with the biggest impact on my understanding of who I am. Canadian society encourages people to be themselves and provides the means to integrate immigrants while respecting their uniqueness and valuing their diversity. Nevertheless, we also know the beginning is never easy – no one knows you or your capabilities. We need to start all over again.
On the same report of Statistics Canada, one-third of immigrant women between the ages of 25 to 54 has a university degree, compared to less than one-quarter of their Canadian-born counterparts. However Labour Force Survey data shows that immigrant women earned less and had a significantly higher rate of unemployment than Canadian-born women. The good news is that the rate of unemployment improved the longer the women immigrant resided in Canada. That’s why our goal at Hispanotech WiT is to reduce this period of unemployment; and in order to do so we focus on four pillars:
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Mentoring: to help to successfully navigate the Canadian job market,
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Connecting: through networking events,
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Inspiring: showcase women as empowered leaders, and
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Alliances: foster male allies and advocates who support women.
If you want to become part of WiT or learn more about our strategy, please contact someone from our group: Ana Lobo, Denisse Rodriguez, Maria Castellanos, Lina Florez, Donaji Gomez or me. Everyone is welcome!!!
References:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2019001/article/00006-eng.htm
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2013001/article/11874-eng.htm
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11528-eng.htm
