Work Package 2: Develop and Pilot a Curriculum focused on Women in Data Science

Lead Investigators:  Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (Kenya) & The University of Sheffield (United Kingdom)

This work package aimed to explore approaches that would lead to increased women representation in data science and broader STEM fields. The work involved several approaches including literature reviews to explore curriculum design and policy interventions, surveys to explore barriers to women participation in STEM, data mining to obtain quantitative data on women representation in STEM and STEM-adjacent disciplines and finally curriculum interventions including workshops on data science applications in conservation and health. 

Our findings underscore the need for a multifaceted approach involving various stakeholders to break down barriers and promote gender equity in data science and broader STEM fields. By addressing curriculum design, policy interventions, and educational objectives, we can create a more inclusive and supportive environment that encourages increased participation of women in these critical disciplines. We developed a tutorial for the use of artificial intelligence in aiding wildlife conservation efforts.

Read more about our work on https://riojournal.com/article/138833/

Get the tutorials on https://zenodo.org/records/13884475 

Work Package 3: Develop and Include Better, Gender-Inclusive Approaches in IT, DS, HCI and ICT4D and to Develop Gender-Just Co-Design Approaches

Lead investigators: University of Cape Town (South Africa), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Sheffield (United Kingdom)

In this work package, we aimed to i) develop and pilot gender analysis toolkit through action research in South Africa and Uganda, ii) understand the factors that dissuade women and gender-diverse people from participating in co-design ventures and ii) develop methodologies/tools that make co-design ventures gender-just.

We identified key systemic barriers, such as longstanding patriarchal and at times misogynistic norms that oppress women and establish inequitable access to co-design opportunities of digital innovation projects. Further, we identified a lack of intersectional gender analysis, which serves to mask patterns of inequality. In this work, we offer better gender analysis and gender-just co-design processes in ICTD/ICT4D. The gender just design methodologies equips more facilitators, practitioners, action researchers and participants to reflect on and challenge gendered social norms in the practice of consultation and co-design of digital innovation (social change outcome).

Two groundbreaking toolkits (gender analysis and gender just co-design toolkits) were developed from our co-designed workshops. The gender analysis toolkit is designed to be used in community development research/project to measure the impact of an intervention on people of different genders. The gender just co-design toolkit provides guidance on what to consider when planning and designing gender-just co-design for community development.

Click here for the toolkits.

Work Package 4: GeJuSTA Academy – Supporting early-career women researchers in Africa

Lead Investigators: Makerere University (Uganda), International Institute of Information Technology (Kenya) & Stockholm University (Sweden).

The GeJuSTA Academy established a supportive network for early-career women researchers in STEM fields particularly Information Systems, Information Technology, ICT for Development, Data Science (and Artificial Intelligence), Human Computer Interaction (Co-Design, Participatory Design) and some environmental sciences. Participants received mentorship and empowerment to thrive and compete effectively in their careers at their different stages.

The Academy hosted various activities such as webinars, workshops, and peer-to-peer mentoring sessions. These initiatives aimed to tackle key topical areas that mostly impact early career women in their research journeys and also to build a robust support network for them. The program addressed crucial topics, including career positioning, research grant writing, choosing research advisors (or Supervisors) and balancing personal and professional responsibilities. The mentorship program attracted participants from across Africa and beyond, featuring African women leaders in STEM as speakers and facilitators.

The mentorship program highlighted the intricacies of managing motives of participation in a mentorship program, communicating expectations, and commitment to the mentorship program by both mentors and mentees. Good prior planning and the use of mentorship progress markers were found to be valuable in running a mentoring program. A mentorship toolkit was developed to guide future mentorship programs and can be adopted by anyone interested in running a similar mentorship program.

Click here for the mentorship toolkit.

Work package 5: Analyzing the Underrepresentation of Women in Cybersecurity in an African Context

Lead Investigators: International Institute of Information Technology (Kenya), Makerere University (Uganda) & Stockholm University (Sweden).

This research aimed to explore the lived experiences of African women in cybersecurity, examining the challenges they face and identifying opportunities to foster their inclusion and empowerment in the field.

Our findings reveal that systemic barriers, workplace discrimination, hiring biases, lack of representation and role models, challenges in global representation for African women, and digital literacy gaps are among the top challenges they encounter. Resilience and agency emerged as key mechanisms that helped women thrive in the male-dominated sector.

Our recommendations to academia, policy makers and industry are contained in our report.