Researchers at the Universidad del Valle (Univalle) are seeking to improve women's experience as users and creators of technology through research projects related to the gendered aspects of cybersecurity; women's participation at the top of the tech industry; and patterns of cyberbullying in social networks.
Although women make up half of the human population, globally they still represent only 28% of engineering professionals and 40% of computer science graduates and 20% in fields such as artificial intelligence, according to World Bank figures.
Laura Sofía Rodríguez Pulecio, appointed professor at the School of Systems and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering; co-founder of Grupo Mujeres STEM; and candidate for the Women that Build award explained that today there are still relatively few studies that focus on the need for gender-sensitive research in engineering.
"It's a vicious circle: low participation of women in STEM results in research that is not focused on women's issues," said Professor Rodriguez, adding that this is why research that focuses on women is so key.
Gender and Cybersecurity
In a popular science article published by tech site ImpactoTIC, Professor Rodríguez posed the question: "Why are women more victims of cybercrime than men?
Damage from ransomware would cost the world USD 8 billion in 2018; by 2019 the figure was USD 11.5 billion and by 2021 it was USD 20 billion, which corresponds to 57 times more than was presented in 2015, according to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures.
But, Professor Rodriguez explained it is women who bear the brunt of these attacks.
For example, 46% of women report having suffered a cyber attack on their social networks (compared to 37% of men); and women are 26% more likely to be victims of identity fraud than men; and 53% of identity theft victims are women.
"Although men take more risks online, women are still more likely to be victimised," Professor Rodriguez said, adding that the level of familiarity with technology is lower in women, and that algorithms designed to protect the consumer are trained on the behaviours of men.
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Read more from Univalle’s Women in STEM group: Women in STEM are the stars of Engineering Week 2021 at Universidad del Valle |
Photo: Laura Sofía Rodríguez Pulecio, appointed professor at the School of Systems and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad del Valle.
AI to Bridge Gender Gaps
Rodriguez of the Information and Communication Technologies Research Group (GOTIC) and professor Oscar Bedoya PhD of the Group on Artificial Intelligence (GUIA) have begun working to harness the potential of artificial intelligence to understand and solve gender issues in technological environments through two new projects.
"By working together, we hope to drive positive and lasting change in the technology industry, creating an environment that is safer, more egalitarian and conducive to the growth and full participation of all individuals, regardless of gender," said Professor Rodriguez, adding that they hope to make significant advances in identifying and eliminating gender bias, promoting diversity and inclusion, and developing more equitable technologies and policies.
Karen Daniela Moreno Rincón, an eighth-semester undergraduate student in the Systems Engineering programme, uses a technique called Web Scraping and analytical algorithms to obtain data from LinkedIn on the presence and qualifications of women in STEM in management positions in technology companies compared to their male peers.
Moreno explained that the project aims to identify two crucial situations in technology companies. First, it will address the phenomenon of the "glass ceiling," an invisible barrier that women face in their ascent to management and leadership positions, despite having the necessary qualifications and experience.
"Situations such as the glass ceiling present an obstacle to the advancement of women in their professional path and knowing the existence of this will allow technology companies to implement measures to counteract it, to diversify their positions and obtain different points of view that contribute to decision making," said Moreno said.
On the other hand, the "imposter syndrome" will be analyzed, a sociocultural phenomenon that affects both men and women, but with a particularly significant impact on women.
This syndrome manifests itself when individuals, despite having demonstrable achievements and skills, constantly experience doubts about their own talent and success. In the work context, impostor syndrome can lead women to underestimate their professional worth and self-limit themselves when seeking and applying for management positions, despite possessing the qualifications and experience necessary to perform such roles.
The project seeks to understand and address these situations in order to promote gender equality and create more inclusive work environments in the technology sector.
Another project within the group is by Angélica María Agudelo Ortiz, an eighth-semester undergraduate student on the Systems Engineering programme who will collect Twitter data related to cyberbullying in the Colombian context and analyse it through Natural Language Processing (NLP) to build a model of specific patterns and characteristics of cyberbullying using Machine Learning (ML).
"Twitter is a widely used platform for social interaction and information exchange but cyberbullying can limit freedom of expression and generate a toxic environment on the platform," Agudelo said.
According to Agudelo, studying cyberbullying on Twitter can help identify patterns and trends in behaviour that contribute to this problem.
"By considering different perspectives and experiences, we can develop technologies that address gender issues and promote equality," Agudelo said, adding that she hopes the study will contribute to a more equitable and just society in the digital age.
If you are interested in contacting the researcher or learning more about the project, please write to the Communications Office Faculty of Engineering: comunicaingenieria(at)correounivalle.edu.co
Cover photo: From left to right: Karen Daniela Moreno Rincón, Professor Laura Sofía Rodríguez Pulecio and Angélica María Agudelo Ortiz Credit: Adolfo Ceron/NCC-FI/Univalle
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