The STEAM industry is full of stigmas and stereotypes that suggest that the industry is not meant for women states Leila Saidzade, Head Of Exploration – UNDP Azerbaijan.
The CAREC Women’s Business Forum will take place on November 6 in Astana. Prior to this event, one of the participants Leila Saidzade, Head of Research at UNDP answered a few questions from CABAR.asia.
CABAR.asia: What is your opinion on the upcoming forum? What results do you expect from the event?
Leila Saidzade: I believe such forums are primarily platforms for women’s networking, as they unfortunately have far fewer opportunities to build connections. This is a great space where personal and business relationships are formed, allowing for a deeper understanding of people professionally.
Secondly, I think the forum will definitely address issues of gender inequality and women’s empowerment. It’s a long journey, but we must understand that even small steps yield incredible results.
What specific technologies and innovations can women use to address and adapt to climate change?
Women are highly affected by climate change and are one of the most vulnerable groups. When we talk about technology, we mean a very broad range, as climate change impacts women in various ways. Even the rise in air temperature is difficult biologically, as women experience pregnancy, undergo hormonal changes, and so on.
In addition, women also suffer indirectly, as climate change is linked to water scarcity and availability. Consequently, women face more challenging sanitary conditions. So, when we talk about innovations, we can refer to technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI). This includes smart water resource management and effective access for women to educational platforms.
We are also talking about innovations in hygiene, such as new hygiene products that can be used with minimal water, as well as eco-friendly household technologies like refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers that ease women’s conditions.
In your opinion, what are the most significant obstacles preventing women from entering and succeeding in STEAM fields, particularly in the fight against climate change?
Firstly, stereotypes and stigmas. Women worldwide face this issue, with only around 28-35% of women represented in STEAM industries. This problem extends even into artificial intelligence. For example, if you ask ChatGPT to depict a STEAM specialist, it will likely show a man.
The STEAM industry is filled with stereotypes, such as that women aren’t good at math or can’t focus on a single problem. Climate change also limits girls’ school access, affecting their future in STEAM fields. In some countries, there is more representation; in others, fewer. But overall, it is the same problem. Even now, if we talk about human technology, this issue has extended to artificial intelligence. For example, if you ask ChatGPT to depict a STEAM specialist, it will depict a man.
The STEAM industry is filled with stigmas and stereotypes that it’s not for women. Supposedly, women do poorly in math, can’t focus on one problem, and so on. Climate change also affects the accessibility of educational institutions for girls, because they do not even have the basic opportunity to simply get to school.
And, naturally, in order to get into the STEAM industry, hard skills are needed, which must be studied. It is with such basic things that the problem of women in terms of accessibility of the STEAM industry begins.
How can authorities and civil institutions, including educational institutions, better support women who are involved in climate initiatives?
Well, first of all, they can support through specially developed programs for women. Very often, when we talk about this, there is a backlash about why this is necessary, what is so special, why do we need to talk specifically about programs for women?
But in reality, women need a specific, special approach. Because if we talk about the availability of education, then for a girl in more traditional societies, it is much more difficult to get it. She must leave the house, get to school, there must be appropriate transport, there must be a safe industry. Accordingly, this means that for women, the conditions are initially more difficult.
That is why it is necessary to implement additional programs so that educational initiatives themselves go to where women are already. It is always easier for women to start something together. That is, we need to create these communities. It is generally recognized that the creation of communities has a positive effect on human empowerment in traditional societies. The creation of communities increases women’s resilience to climate change and also allows them to unite and initiate some events.
These are not always high matters, often these are daily activities. For example, this is an activity that can take place in one village, when women are educated on the topic of efficient use of water resources and share this with other women.
First, you need to go to women with this information, second, you need to create the opportunity for communities so that women can unite and initiate this type of initiative as groups, and not as individuals.
I have the impression, perhaps incorrectly, that the authorities in many of our countries are quite cautious, at the very least, in their attitude towards the women’s movement, and often even sharply negative. Do you not have this impression? If so, then why?
There is such an impression, and I often encounter it. The thing is that the concept of feminism is politicized. Therefore, very often feminism is viewed as some kind of alternative political trend. And, of course, radical feminism has contributed to this vision. My position, for example, is that our countries with a traditional culture do not need feminism in this radical form.
When they started creating various programs to help women, they somehow began to involve only women. And this kind of antagonism resulted when men stopped understanding what was happening. Accordingly, this ignorance causes tension.
I often encounter that this agenda item is met very negatively and aggressively. So you always have to convey to people about it so that they are not afraid of this story. For instance, we make sure to actively involve men in all our events. Recently, even the Asian Development Bank approached me with a request to hold a seminar and they asked, on what topic? And I chose the topic of involving men, so that it was a dialogue, not a monologue of women about themselves and their problems.
Therefore, I absolutely agree with you. I see the solution to this issue in not going overboard and involving men and not talking about “women empowerment” exclusively, but talking about diversity.
And now we have shifted the focus in our organization and started talking about diversity and specifically about gender equality.
And, by the way, if we return to the previous question, when we talk about the community, for me it is not a community of women, but a community of families. International organizations have already encountered the problem that when you go to villages and teach only women, then later a conflict begins in the family. That is, the man is absolutely not ready for this and begins to resist. The level of domestic violence increases, intolerance appears.
For example, I do not believe in this position. I believe only in dialogue, but the fact is that for a very long time this topic was forcibly imposed and some fatigue from it appeared.
Don’t you think that another reason for such tension is that there are very few women in power (or at decision-making levels)?
There are definitely very few women in power. But it would also be wrong to say that this problem can be solved by creating quotas, because there is such a thing as internal misogyny, which is more severe than male misogyny. When a woman crosses women, it is done much more skillfully.
Therefore, simply increasing quotas for women will not solve the problem. Women are not particularly ready to support women. That is, this is a different problem.
Can you give examples of how women in STEAM are using digital technologies such as AI or blockchain to create effective climate solutions?
In this case, I think it is not quite right to talk about blockchain, because in fact it is not considered a green technology. If we talk about AI, then women use different technologies. For example, in Azerbaijan, Reyhan Jamalova came up with an initiative to implement a project to use rainwater for irrigation of land.
However, there are very few such projects due to the fact that women globally do not have access to finances. If in the world before the pandemic it was only three percent of the financial flow as a whole, now it is one percent. We have rolled back.
Therefore, we practically do not know women who come up with any proposals because they do not receive funding.
How can STEAM technologies help poor families better adapt to climate change?
Innovations make services cheaper very often, so they make life easier for the poor. In Azerbaijani villages, online courses have appeared thanks to the Internet. People have gained access to free education. That is, first of all, the level of awareness of the population increases.
Secondly, innovations allow you to take part in some processes taking place in the country. Yes. This can be remote work, payment of various utilities, etc. You do not need to spend money to go somewhere. And this is an opportunity to get a job at home again.
Technologies allow people who, for a number of reasons, find it difficult to find a job, to become social media specialists. Thanks to the advent of electronic wallets, more vulnerable parts of the population can be involved in financial flows from the turnover of services, they can accept non-cash funds, for example, from tourists in some villages.
Not to mention the opportunity to receive video consultations from doctors in remote areas.
How does your work with Women in Tech and other platforms promote women’s leadership in developing climate resilience technologies?
We do not have a specific focus on climate change. But given that COP29 is being held in Azerbaijan this year, we are all focused on disseminating Green Tech.
For our part, we raise awareness among the population, especially girls, about opportunities. We also have a special scholarship named after Maya Hajiyeva, the first female mathematician in Azerbaijan. Thanks to this scholarship, 30 girls have received an education in the last six months. We also collaborate with universities and other educational institutions and organize various educational events, where we try to ensure that girls are represented by 50%.
We also work with parents so that they support the girl’s choice of profession.
As someone deeply involved in technology and innovation, what has been the most rewarding part of your work with UNDP Accelerator Labs and Women in Tech?
The most rewarding part was what we did during the pandemic, when we had several technology solutions to support small and medium businesses so that they wouldn’t go bankrupt.
For me, this is the most significant project because it was about breadwinners in difficult times for the entire world. In general, I believe that all projects aimed at sustainable development are the most significant. Projects related to education are especially significant, because no matter how you look at it, you can’t take that away from a person.
In your podcast you discussed the role of women in various fields. You also talked about existing stereotypes about women. Which of them do you dislike the most?
I don’t really like the new stereotypes myself. I think that we have switched from old stereotypes to new ones. That is, from the stereotype that a woman should sit at home, cook borscht, raise children, we have switched to a new stereotype that a woman should be able to do everything, and a new image of a steel businesswoman who is accompanied by great success has appeared.
I see that the younger generation is under great stress because of this. Although gender equality is equal opportunities, it is not a competition, it is not some kind of endless race.
Personally, I believe in small steps that we all can take. For real changes, it is necessary to record small steps. It is better to move some cube from point A to point B than to have a long abstract conversation. That is, I am for such down-to-earth efficiency. And for me, the project of education for 30 girls is more important than, say, some 150 conferences where I spoke.
We don’t need a show. We need what makes us happy and I believe that only this works.