How can technological interventions help women and girls avoid reinventing the wheel as they navigate higher education and career opportunities?

Author: Sanjana Chhantyal, 30 for 2030 Network Member

Sanjana Chhantyal, 30 for 2030 Network Member. Illustration: UN Women/Hala Makhlouf

I graduated from high school over a decade ago and I still remember how overwhelming it was for me to navigate college admissions process because of the limited information I had on academic opportunities. Back then, it seemed like there were three career paths - a doctor, an engineer, or a failure. Spoiler alert, I am neither a doctor nor an engineer.

It is baffling to me how lack of information and mentorship opportunities still hinders women and girls from achieving their true potential. Education is prioritized by many countries; however, in many parts of the world, it is still difficult for aspiring students and young professionals to learn about and access existing academic and career opportunities around them.  Still, women and girls, especially ones from less privileged backgrounds, or who may be the first in their family to consider going to university, face barriers that can be uprooted with technological interventions. Technology should be utilized to assess and address the gender-specific challenges faced by women and girls and catalyse a cultural shift among influential community members, particularly in elders.

Technology, a tool to level the playing field

Because of limited networks and means, many aspiring students are often unaware of academic and scholarship opportunities and are highly concerned about the cost of a quality education. To help close this gap, even if by only a millimetre, I designed a Higher Education Research toolkit that consolidates the college admissions and scholarship application process for Universities in Nepal and some foreign countries that are highly preferred by Nepali students. I have led formal and informal mentoring sessions at schools and other platforms.

During these sessions, I had the opportunity to further understand some of the challenges faced by women and girls in Nepal as they navigate academic and career opportunities. Some girls shared that their families were not opposed to their education but because of financial constraints, the education of their brothers were prioritized over theirs. Some had heard conversations in their family where the cost of their higher education was weighed against the cost of holding a wedding ceremony. The absence of information on career opportunities after graduation was also given as a discouraging factor.

As the higher education application process is becoming increasingly digitized, access to internet connections and technological devices poses a huge barrier for women and girls. They might be eligible for several scholarships but first, they must know about them and have the resources to apply.

Some schools and local libraries provide free access to these resources which is helping this situation to some extent. Some students shared that they discovered fields of study they had never heard of via the internet. However, some students expressed that they first felt overwhelmed and then discouraged by the wide range of information available. They also said it was hard to identify official sources of information.

It is difficult to create comprehensive toolkits and reach everyone through individual-led projects. So, to maximize reach and impact, it is important that government, education institutions, development agencies, private organizations, and youth leaders co-design a centralized source of information that supports students to navigate higher education. This centralized source should also include information on career opportunities available after graduation. The mapping of education and career journeys along with information on role models can help address reservations associated with pursuing an unconventional field of study.

Furthermore, these stakeholders should co-design programmes to increase access to technological resources and utilize online platforms to connect aspiring students with women role models and mentors. The unique barriers limiting girls from pursuing higher education must be analysed and the insights must be incorporated into the design of these resources. Additionally, inputs from young leaders and beneficiaries should be placed at the central while designing the resources.

Technology, a tool to turn the spotlight on female role models and varied fields of study

A topic that is less discussed but is equally important is making elders more familiar with a wider range of modern women role models. These elders, include parents, guardians, teachers, and other decision influencers. In many communities, elders play an influential role in decisions around higher education and careers. Again, women and girls face gender-specific challenges. Often, they are encouraged by members of their families and communities to pursue fields of study that have relatively high female representation. This approach creates barriers for women and girls to entering fields that have low female representation, resulting in a vicious cycle.

According to the market research by Euromonitor, Asian elders are more techie compared to elders in other regions of the world. The increased use of social media among the elders is helping address the buy-in situation to some extent. Young female students in Nepal are using technology to not only conduct research about a particular field of study but also educate elders around them about the career potential and presence of women leaders in that field. Some of the girls have mentioned that they discovered women role models via social media. They are sharing news articles and interviews of women achievers with their family members. Some also shared that their family members have started doing their own research as well. This is helping the decision influencers understand about the career opportunities in a particular field.

The burden of having to get buy-in from decision influencers adds to the pressure these women and girls are already facing. Online programmes should be designed for our techie elders to equip them with resources on how they can support the creation of a supportive environment in which girls and women take ownership of their academic and career decisions. The centralized information source on academic and career opportunities can also help address some of the concerns of the decision influencers.

Additionally, to reflect that they are inclusive of all genders and help address various reservations, government and private institutions must share progress on metrics that reflect the effectiveness of their diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives, which must also reflect their understanding of the grassroots realities faced by women and girls in the region.