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IN PERSPECTIVE

GIS for Gender Equality Today, geospatial technology has become an important part of our lives. However, there is a visible gender divide in the geospatial industry. Women are at a disadvantage when it comes to representation in this industry and the policies related to it.

By Dr. Laxmi.N.Goparaju

T

oday, many sciences have been integrated under the umbrella of geospatial technology, which has seen exponential development in the past few decades. Women have contributed to this develop-

GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01

ment in various forms ranging from academia and industry to research and development.

However, their representation in the geospatial technology field still remains quite low. A glimpse of gender balance data shows that 62% of young women do not stay in the GIS industry for more than 10 years. In addition, a lack of gender diversity is observed in geospatial conferences and events, where man-only panels or ‘manels’ are commonplace. Research indicates that only one-third of participants at professional conferences are women.

The geospatial industry is a male-dominated field that can be difficult for women to break into because of structural obstacles and biases. These issues have been compounded with the advent of the pandemic in 2020, which has negatively impacted women in this sector. Some women have been laid off, others have had their studies impacted.

Several more have left their jobs due to caregiving responsibilities

at home. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a safe platform for women in the geospatial field to share their experiences and the challenges they face.

It was in 2020 that I had the opportunity to join Women+ in Geospatial (W+G), as a steering committee member.

Later on, I became its regional ambassador for Asia. The W+G community includes women and under-represented people from different gender backgrounds, cultures and countries, who share a passion for geospatial science. By being connected, we supported each other and could ride out the pandemic together.

Our skills developed by sharing and learning from experts as well as novices. The losses caused by the closure of colleges and organizations were compensated by community engagement.

Since our launch in 2019 as an online network, W+G now has more than 3,700 members from 91 countries. In October 2021, we registered the network as a