Interview with Catherine Jay Didion, Executive Director, Association for Women in Science (AWIS), USA

One of the stands in the ICT4D hall at WSIS aims to advocate for the recognition of recognize women’s contribution to the development of technology. Women are usually seen as consumers and users of the technology. However, there are many women in science, universities, research institutions, and their work is not visible enough. A group of women who were not satisfied with this picture have established the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) in Washington, D.C., which works for equity and full participation for women in science, mathematics, social sciences and engineering. AWIS has developed into a voice, a resource, and a network for supporters of women in science.

Didion: My expectation from WSIS is that it is an opportunity for different groups with very different opinions to work together. When we talk about a civil society, we talk about very different groups with very different expectations. Our belief is that when we talk about women and gender and technology, women traditionally are seen as the end users of the technology. We want to women to be seen as creators of the technology as well, engaged in all aspects and levels of production of the technology. Our emphasis is on how to get more women in a community engaged in the technical work force, and to address issues such as child care and part time work.

Q: How do you support women to be creators of the technology?

Didion: First, women have to have a proper education, so we have to be sure that they have access to education, at primary and secondary, but also at higher levels. The second thing is that we have to help women who are creators of technology to be recognized. Look at agriculture. Most agriculturalists in the world are women. They have a lot of knowledge, and they have created a lot of knowledge that didn’t exist before. Women deserve, as well as men, to have their work and knowledge be recognized. In addition, we have to look how young women access career opportunities. If a young woman has a degree in mathematics or chemistry, how does she go about advancing her career?

I think many young people know a lot about business but they do not know much about the technology and what they can do with that. So we have to show those women what the opportunities are and where to find a job.

Q: What do you think: is today’s technology women-friendly?

Didion: I would argue that in many cases, unfortunately, not. For example, there are tiny handy computers developed to fit in a man’s shirt pocket, and most women do not have shirt pockets. Airbags in cars are developed for men, who are much bigger than women. I think that women recognize that – in general - women in the market place are consumers, and men make decisions. We have economic power and we have to use it. If we put both things together, we could be very persuasive.

Q: It is well-known, proven by statistical data, that women are more educated than men. What can we do to have more women leaders in economy and science, as well as in politics?

Didion: Education is one part of the issue. Once educated, women have to have opportunity and experience. Our organizations and corporations have to change to allow women to reach higher levels at work and in their careers. And this is a critical area, because having the training is one thing, but if you don’t have experience it is very hard to make progress.

Q: On the other hand, women have a glass ceiling above their heads.

Didion: There is a lot of discussion about that. In many cases we have to make new pathways, new mechanisms. This is a great challenge and we have to use technology to work for us.