With Bangladesh striving for middle-income status in the very near future, and becoming a smart, prosperous nation in less than two decades, creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce will be of paramount importance.
This is particularly true in the technology industry where, despite progress in gender equality in Bangladesh overall, women remain grossly underrepresented.
Women in tech still face significant barriers to not only enter the field, but also remain and advance. The lack of opportunities for education and training in technology-related fields, together with the all-too-familiar social and cultural barriers that prevent them from pursuing careers continues to hold back Bangladeshi women.
Recognizing that there is an issue is always the first step to solving it, and to that end, it is good to see there are initiatives underway to promote gender equality in the industry, particularly from the government which has launched several programs aimed at increasing access to education and training in STEM fields for girls and women.
However, what is needed now is to build upon those foundations and forge ahead. What is needed is more women in leadership roles in tech, and we must create the culture and space for women to not only enter the tech industry, but also thrive in it.
It is only through continuous effort and investment will we create a more diverse and inclusive technology industry; there is no Smart Bangladesh when half the population, through no fault of their own, continue to lag behind in what will have to be the most important sector for our country if we are to indeed reach our final goal.