At the WomenTech Network, we’re fortunate to have a wonderful, global community of ambassadors who help us spread the word about our work and who helped us make the WomenTech Global Conference 2020 a success and continue helping us on or mission to unite women in tech. We would like you to meet these wonderful people as well; therefore, we’re going to be introducing you to some of our most active members.

Today, get to know Qurat Ul Ain:

Qurat Ul Ain, Consultant Software Engineer at Systems Limited, was born and brought up in a middle-class family based in Karachi, Pakistan.

An electrical engineer by training, a software consultant by profession and a humanitarian at heart, she has been representing women in the IT industry by mentoring and coaching on issues such as equal opportunities, work-life balance, gender pay gap to help other women break the glass ceiling. 

She is a passionate consultant, solution architect and a proven project manager with over 9 years of experience in the tech industry. She graduated as an Electrical Engineer from NED University of Engineering and Technology, but before passing her degree exam, she knew electrical engineering was not her calling. She began her career in tech as a digital marketer – with an aim to get more involved in technical development.

With the change in the technology landscape every few years, it’s incredibly challenging to keep up with cutting-edge entrants, cybersecurity issues and continued descent of public trust as consumers are getting to understand privacy and security violations.

In Qurat's Own Words:

• Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

It’s a fact that men clearly outnumber women in the IT industry. Only one-in-six of tech specialists in the UK are women. Scarcer than one-in-ten of these women are in leadership positions. According to World Economic Forum's 2019 report on the gender pay gap, 52% of women have a perception that technology is a male industry, while 32% believe gender bias is a major barrier in the recruitment and employment process.

Various reasons contribute to this multi-faceted issue – early development, access to education, sexual discrimination, traditional gender role bias and so on. Gender inequality is a deep rooted menace which is potentially hampering the socioeconomic advancement and derailing women from coming out and gaining financial and moral independence.

We need a global paradigm shift to accept independent women. As a society we need to accept that a career-oriented woman can be a good daughter, wife and mother – all these roles can co exist as does for our male counter parts.

• How can men help make the tech sector a better place for women?

To achieve equity in life and in the workplace, men will have to support and advocate for women equally or more – and this needs to start from the women they interact with daily. All the genders need to fight for this together.

According to a study by the National Center for Women and Information Technology, gender-balanced companies demonstrate superior team dynamics and productivity, perform better financially, and produce teams that stay on schedule and under budget.

• What is the role of educators and parents?

Gender equality starts at home. The most substantial influence on gender role development occurs within our families – homes are the essential units within which to effect change, and protect and empower women.

Access to education and employment are foundational for achieving gender equality, which are driven by family values, practices and societal norms.

Meet more of our most active Global Ambassadors here or become a Global Ambassador by becoming part of WomenTech Network.