Canada’s theme this year: the roles of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
We couldn’t have asked for a better theme to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) at Cimpl! As our primary focus is on the tech industry, we definitely understand the issues and barriers women are faced with every single day in this particular field. Taking that into consideration, our corporate culture strongly promotes equality and respect, so that every woman can flourish and advance forward in her career.
Let’s Do Some Quick History
What exactly is International Women’s Day? To properly answer this question, let’s go a few years back. This honorific day is rooted back to women’s centuries-long struggle for equality within society. There are more than just a handful of ancient stories. From claiming simple liberty to gaining the right to vote, women have come from a long, winding, and challenging path. It was only until the 20th century that International Women’s day was born. With that, the wake of labor movements in North America and Europe came into existence, as well as the development on women’s equal participation in society.
The first IWD was celebrated on the 19th of March, 1911 in the countries of Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. During the following years, more and more countries joined the movement and began celebrating this day too. The United Nations proclaimed 1975 as “International Women’s Year” and in the same year, adopted a resolution designating March 8th as the official International Women’s Day. Since then, this day is celebrated in order to commemorate the journey of extremely prominent women of the feminist movement and to inspire others into achieving equality.
“Have the guts and perseverance. I would advise not to rely on your expectations of what you will receive for your achievements; don’t be afraid and ask for your share. Know your value and worth.” – Mina, PMO at Cimpl
Equality? Not in every field
Although women are progressively taking their shares in the job market, some fields remain very masculine. As highlighted in this year’s theme, STEM fields are among those where women are underrepresented. In Canada, only one third of those who have graduated in STEM are women (Source: Government of Canada). If the gap continues to widen between women and men in this field in universities, it would only be imaginable for it to stretch even further in workplaces and businesses.
“It’s all about the state of mind, be strong and empower your interests in the industry. Be proud and show your capabilities and values.” – Manpreet, QA Analyst at Cimpl
Introducing more women in fields like technology is a simple and efficient way to fuel change and reverse trends. Just like their male colleagues, women can greatly contribute and participate in the advancement of science and technology, thus building a prosperous future and strengthening the economy. By integrating women’s experiences with new technologies and innovations, and by ensuring to meet the needs of all in an equal way, we can break the normal economic course of events and participate in this major change.
“Don’t be afraid to voice your opinions. Push forward with your interests in the industry and create new trails.” – Patricia, Adoption Specialist at Cimpl
Women at Cimpl
We have to say, we are very lucky at Cimpl. Our pool of employees are made up of several inspiring, determined and innovative women with great interests in technology. Members in PMO, programming, quality assurance, analysis and product adoption; are determined and work hard to contribute to the company’s growth every day.
We wanted to celebrate the important contribution of our female employees to the company and to do so, we asked them some questions about what motivated them to get involved in technology, how they see Cimpl’s contribution to their careers and what they hope for the future and parity in the field.
“The environment [at Cimpl] is always changing. I was given the opportunity and responsibility of handling clients and was able to give more input and feedback to the platform and other projects. However, as a woman in the tech industry, I wasn’t affected by the gender inequality as my interest for the field was more compelling.” – Patricia, Adoption Specialist
“It challenges your creativity through approaching various problems with different perspectives gathered from others. Cimpl has helped further my knowledge in the tech industry. The environment is very supportive and exciting. Work is enjoyable, as there is a sense of freedom and duty.” – Manpreet, QA Analyst
“The core values of Cimpl really align with my personal values, which provides me motivation and comfort in working in the company. It would probably take another 10 to 15 years for gender equality to come through in the industry. I feel that the mentality of males are still traditional, and there’s still the existence of “men vs. women” in the general IT industry. But Canada is definitely advancing faster (in terms of gender equality), and, of course, at Cimpl, I don’t feel a sense of gender inequality.” – Mina, PMO
On behalf of the entire Cimpl team, have a great International Women’s Day!