Presentation by Talat Yaqoob, Director, Equate, delivered at 'Technology is too important to be left to men ...' event organised by College Development Network on 25th May, 2018. With a focus on increasing the number of women studying technology courses through the gender action plan, we need innovative measures to attract and retain women to these subjects. Talat describes ways in which we can make this happen, focusing on student partnerships, networks, language use and inclusive curriculums.

1. Talat Yaqoob
Technology for everyone

2. Positive Action
Equality Social Justice
To tackle gender inequality, we need to remember that the starting point for
everyone is not the same.
Giving everyone the same thing, doesn’t create a level playing field, more is
needed for those furthest behind. That’s the point of positive action

3. Women
students
• Equate Student Network
• CareerWise Placements
Women working
in STEM
• Career Clinics and Coaching
• CPD for women
• Women Returners
Culture Change
• Policy Development with Scottish Government and agencies
• Training for employers
Culture Change
• Positive Action Language
• Job search and support

4. Our Research

5. Recruitment
Language matters
They renamed the course previously called “Introduction to programming in
Java” to “Creative approaches to problem solving in science and engineering
using Python.” Using words like “creative” and “problem solving” to sound
more approachable.
This is alongside tackling sexism in cultures, developing mentoring schemes
and supporting inclusive education.

6. Within the curriculum
Consider where women are in the curriculum – are
you using examples of women in the course work?
Do your reading lists include women experts? Are
you using this opportunity in the classroom to
highlight that women are not an anomaly in
technology?

7. Outreach
Outreach is important,
but one intervention in a
school in S2 is not going
to create any real change
for when girls are making
subject choices.
Consider where
investment can be made:
Multiple interventions,
with the same group,
across the pipeline of
education are needed to
combat the messages
received that technology
is not for them.

8. There is no silver bullet: But instead
multiple Interventions which are
sustainable, which are repeated and
which go along the pipeline are the way
to make a real difference to women in
tech

9. Equate Scotland
www.equatescotland.org.uk
t.yaqoob@napier.ac.uk
0131 455 5108