Culture & Education | Saturday 18 April, 2015 12:49 pm |

Many Saudi women are breaking stereotypes by seeking work in the information technology sector rather than in the fields of education and health, say experts.
Fatima Asiri, a project manager in IT engineering at Asir education department, told Arab News that many women want these jobs because they can work at home in some instances. In addition, they are interested in new technology, she said.
Asiri said she receives many questions from women, which indicates that they are interested in learning more about the industry. Women would excel in the field because they have good taste and are artistic, which would help in design, she said.

They also have the patience and determination to do well, particularly in analyzing codes, programming and solving intricate problems, she said. Asiri said women are important to the industry because they can also advise other women how to protect data on their phones and other devices from being accessed or hacked.
However, despite their desire to work in the industry, jobs are still set aside for men, said Maram Ali. “Most programming and technical support jobs in Saudi Arabia, both in the public and private sectors, are for men. Very few job advertisements ask for women workers,” said Ali, who was the only woman attending a technical training course in the region. Ali said social media has helped women learn more about the industry and share their experiences.

Nadia Baeshen, an economic expert at King Abdulaziz University, said that there is increased demand from women to study computer programming. “Although study in this field requires a high grade of no less than 85 percent at high school, the demand continues to rise in comparison to arts and social studies."
Baeshen said many men are increasingly fearful that their jobs would be taken over by women, in a field where there are already limited jobs for graduates. However, she believes that there would be many more jobs created because of increasing technological advances in the world.

Sarah Hamoud, deputy dean of information technology at Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, said that Forbes magazine recently stated that an IT management position was the fourth highest-paying job in the world for women, after a chief executive officer, pharmacist and lawyer.