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SCIENCE & TECH
Apr 26, 2019 / 10:03

Challenging prejudices about girls’ involvement in STEM field

Ha An

Digitgirlz Day was a special occasion for adolescent girls to discuss with female experts in STEM field career prospects in Vietnam.

Microsoft and other stakeholders are working to dispel a misconception that women are inferior to men and evaluated as less capable when performing similar work in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers.
Microsoft initiated a global campaign namely DigitGirlz Day to encourage and empower girls and young women to consider pursuing STEM studies and careers, in which male has dominated in number.  
The third event of its kind, held in Hanoi on April 25, welcomed some Microsoft experts and successful female models in STEM field sharing their stories as well as their opinions on gender imbalance in information technology (IT) in order to inspire girls.
 
Guests share their stories and experience in STEM career. (From left to right: Mai Thi Ngoan coder from Niteco, Founder of InnEdu STEAM Ảnh 2: To Thuy Diem Quyen, Deputy General Director NGS telecommunication & Equipment Joint Stock Company Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, Director Phan Tu Quyen from Microsoft Vietnam and Nguyen Thi Cam Van a student of Hue University of Sciences).
Guests share their stories and experience in STEM career.
Microsoft’s Philanthropies Lead in South East Asia Le Hong Nhi said although Vietnam’s enrolment rate of female students at the university level has increased, female students still tend to specialize in education, humanities, and arts carrers while men were more likely to major in engineering, manufacturing, and construction.
However, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has changed people’s lifestyles, habits and communications, among others, as well as created more opportunities at work, 50 percent of jobs today require technology skills and the percentage will increase to about 70 percent in the next decade, according to statistics from the US Department of Labor.
Digitgirlz Day, therefore, was a special occasion for adolescent girls to discuss with female experts in STEM field career prospects in Vietnam, and gain a better understanding of the work including career planning assistance, information about technology and business roles.
Mai Thi Ngoan, an advanced coder from Niteco, a Sweden’s company of software development shared her story: “There are varieties of STEM jobs in Hanoi and I had almost no difficulty in finding a position as a coder after graduating. I believe that women are not inferior to men in the technology fields thanks to their capacity, carefulness and desire to self-assertion”.
Other experts also said that Vietnamese girls have great abilities in technology, citing the number of female leadership in Vietnam’s STEM companies such as NGS Telecommunication & Equipment Joint Stock Company, Microsoft, etc. has increased.
During the event, organizers also held a technology workshop in programming languages where attendants could gain real experience with some advanced crafts such as Artificial Control Robots, Makecode MineCraft or Animation maker.

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