KOCHI: IT entrepreneur Fariba Rawhani, believes it is high time more women come out of their comfort zones and prove their mettle in the IT field. The Chief Information Officer of Teranet Inc, who was recently in the state, says there continues to be a huge gap with less than 20 per cent women participation in IT related jobs. “We have been mentally conditioned in many number of ways restricting women from entering the IT field. There are vast opportunities for women in architecture, developer, security and infrastructure jobs,” said Fariba Rawhani, who worked her way to the top after starting off as an IT developer.
She also said there is a need to improve the work environment so that it becomes more conducive for women employees.
According to Fariba, women techies have a greater edge than their male counterparts, especially in the work style. “Why are there fewer women in the field of security? Is it a fault with our recruitment procedures or is the way our society is conditioned?” Fariba asks.
However, there is a positive movement these days, she says. “Compared to the period when I stepped into my career, there are more women who are entering the industry. However, it is important to ensure that the change is constant, precise and orchestrated from within. Women should support women and stand together,” said Fariba Rawhani.
She says the lack of a female role model is also a challenge. “I did not have any female role model to look up. However, I was lucky enough to have few male mentors,” she said. She says the internet expansion has been a boon for the nation.
“After the introduction of the internet, information is now available on your fingertips. Now we are experimenting with Artificial Intelligence and robotics. Opportunities are boundless, technology has opened a way to advance humanity and opened a way to foster education and health care too,” said Fariba.
According to her, issues like security, governance, protection, data credibility and availability should be taken into serious concern.
Fariba says the IT industry is perfect for women. “IT jobs are flexible and offers them financial independence,” she said.