Gender equity in tech is essential for stronger social protection systems

This article on women in tech is part of a broader set of ongoing activities led by the openIMIS Initiative examining women’s roles in technology across the health and social protection sectors. These activities include a series portraits of women working in diverse technical roles who are part of the openIMIS community, and community exchanges such as an openIMIS Community Meeting on women in tech held in September 2025 which was co-hosted by the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) and the Kenya Health Informatics Association (KeHIA).

 

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Women play a critical role in developing the digital technologies that underpin the delivery of social protection systems, but remain underrepresented and often undervalued in their field. Women working at the nexus of digital technology and social protection reflect on challenges they face and opportunities to encourage more women into tech careers.

Musing on the different approaches of men and women working in digital technology, Data Scientist Simona Dobre says she believes they bring complementary skills; ‘men often focus on technical performance, while women tend to bring a more human-centred perspective.’ Elaborating further, she says:

When I am designing AI, I am continually assessing the effects of the technology on people and society – both in the short- and the long-term. I am thinking about safeguards and how to mitigate risks, and about issues of accountability and transparency.

Sengchheang Chhun of GIZ, Simona Dobre, and Dragos Dobre at work in Cambodia (l-r) ©Sengchheang Chhun / GIZ

Simona Dobre recently returned from an assignment in Cambodia, where she has been advising the National Payment Certification Agency (NPCA) on the introduction of AI to support claims processing for the country’s social health insurance programs.

For Simona, putting people at the centre of her work in Cambodia means consulting with the different users of the AI technology – from NPCA staff through to the public hospitals submitting claims. It means advising NPCA on the importance of keeping a human in the claims verification loop rather than automating entire processes, and providing support for the establishment of an effective grievance-redressal mechanism.

As countries work towards universal social protection in the face of rising needs and constrained resources, digitalization plays a critical role. Well-designed digital social protection tools – such as ID systems, claims processing and payment platforms – can improve the efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility of social protection programs, enhancing their ability to scale and expanding their reach. Conversely, poorly designed digital technology can replicate and even amplify existing inequalities, particularly those that disadvantage women and girls.

The success of these technologies depends not only on the tools themselves but on the people who design, build, and adapt them for real-world users. Women working in digital social protection bring essential perspectives, but are often under- or unevenly represented in the sector. Their experiences and insights underscore the value of greater diversity in digital technology and indicate where further progress is needed to support their full participation.

Women in tech: a fragmented but consistent picture

Accurate data on women’s participation in the tech workforce in low- and middle-income countries are hard to come by. Much of the available literature refers to the broader category of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and the lack of internationally accepted definitions of STEM or ‘tech’ make cross-country comparisons difficult, if not impossible.

What is clear, however, is that the proportion of digital technology jobs held by women is not determined by a country’s income. In Germany, for example, less than 17 percent of tech specialists are women, according to German internet industry association Eco. In the US, despite representing more than half of the overall workforce, women held just under a quarter of ‘high tech’ roles in 2022, with little change between 2005 and 2022.

By contrast, a 2025 McKinsey report puts the share of women in ‘tech roles’ in Africa – defined as working in industries focused on the creation and application of technology-based goods and services – at slightly above the global average at 30 percent. Furthermore, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Rwanda all have policies and regulations that promote gender parity in tech entrepreneurship, and the tech startup ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa is growing rapidly.

Sylvia Mwelu, Digital Health Technical Lead at the Kenya Health Informatics Association (KeHIA) – which is also the focal point for the openIMIS Community of Practice in Africa – is optimistic about women’s prospects in tech in the region, saying,

 In Kenya, for example, there has been a huge push to get more women into STEM, including women-only fellowships. I now see real advantages to being a woman in tech – the networks you build and people you meet.

Despite this important optimism, however, the available data reveal a consistent pattern of gender disparities both within and across regions, and these imbalances are even more visible when looking at specific domains within tech.

Uneven representation across key technology disciplines

Gender gaps are especially visible in certain core technology areas. In AI, for example, women make up an estimated 22 percent of professionals worldwide. And within AI, men dominate the higher-paid software engineering and senior-level positions, while women are more often represented in roles such as data analysis, research, and education.

When women and other under-represented groups are missing from the teams that design, build, and deploy AI systems – as well as from the underlying data used to train AI and large language models (LLMs) – this can create harmful feedback loops, amplifying existing structural inequalities, including gender inequalities.

Significant – and in some cases widening – gender disparities can also be seen in other technology fields, including software engineering, mathematical modelling and cloud computing.

Karolliny Lima, IT Analyst and Head of Dataprev's  Innovation Lab in Brazil, recalls being one of only four women graduating alongside 30 men. While she notes this balance is slowly improving, she points out,

There are still important jobs where women are underrepresented in Brazil, such as infrastructure analysts, computer network analysts and information security analysts, particularly at senior levels.

This imbalance matters because the technology roles where women remain underrepresented are precisely those that are reshaping labour markets and driving economic growth. And as Karolliny Lima also highlights, women continue to be notably absent in senior tech positions.

The ‘drop to the top’ for women in tech

Gender disparities in tech occupations widen as women progress through their careers; only a very small proportion of women can be found in senior tech leadership and positions of authority.

The 2024 Global Gender Gap Report points to a recent reversal in what had been a promising trend in the increased hiring of women into leadership roles. The COVID-19 pandemic also negatively impacted female retention rates in the tech sector, with many women deciding to leave their jobs due to concerns about work-life balance.

This ‘drop to the top’ happens across the board in technology – and indeed in many other professions – but it is particularly acute in public digital systems, such as those that support social protection programs. Senior tech professionals are often lured away from the public sector to higher paid, private sector jobs.

This has been a challenge for Rashida Buba, Data Analyst and Head of ICT at the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) in Nigeria, when recruiting women who are skilled in IT. She says, ‘Payment in the civil service can be low and the structures are quite rigid, so women working in tech often prefer private sector employment.’

Aware of these challenges, the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN), which manages the openIMIS Asia regional community of practice, is working on gender mainstreaming in digital health. The network aims specifically to increase the number of women in AeHIN leadership structures, including the Working Council, a regional body composed of country representatives that advise the Governing Committee on digital health programmes and initiatives in the region. These efforts have yielded results in a short space of time; nearly a quarter of members on the Working Council are women – up from 15 percent in 2022.

Raya Mohamed, Principal IT Officer at Zanzibar Health Services Fund (ZHSF) and Mshana Rahma, Technical Advisor at GIZ Tanzania, discuss AI in Health Insurance, Nairobi, Kenya. ©Konstanze Lang /GIZ

Gaps in tech leadership and representation among women impact on the digital tools and systems being developed which millions of people rely on for health and social protection.

The challenges for retaining women in tech

So, what is preventing more women from remaining in a career in tech? Women working in diverse technology roles in health financing and social protection report several recurring challenges, particularly at mid-career level.

For women working in traditionally male-dominated spaces, such as IT, persistent stereotypes, unfavourable workplace cultures, limited promotional opportunities and gender pay gaps all play a part. Women describe a lack of recognition, a feeling of being undermined, and having to work harder than their male counterparts to achieve the same level of seniority. When this happens, says Sylvia Mwelu of KeHIA, ‘you feel that this environment is not for you.’

For Wei Lu, Computer Scientist at the World Bank who previously spent a decade working in private tech companies, there is also an emotional cost for women of being constantly ‘mansplained’ to, and of having to prove their technical credentials more than their male colleagues. Over time, this can erode women’s confidence – a point also emphasised by Karolliny Lima, who notes: ‘I often see female colleagues with great potential who are worried they don’t meet the expectations of their male – usually more senior – colleagues.’

In a vicious cycle effect, the lack of female role models, particularly in leadership, can make it difficult for women to envisage their career paths clearly. Suravi Bhandary, Social Protection Consultant and Business Analyst in Nepal says, ‘Nepal’s deep-rooted cultural and social norms and the lack of female role models in the country combine to position IT as a career for men.’

Yolanda Goswell and Afrika Ngondozi at the openIMIS Community Meeting in Cameroon ©GIZ

Inflexible working cultures are also a challenge for women when trying to juggle work with care-giving roles. Speaking of her former role as Systems and Project Manager for 2M Corp in the Gambia, Yolanda Goswell says,

I don’t see challenges inherently related to being a woman in tech, but keeping up with everything new in a very fast-moving field and juggling work with being a mum are the most challenging things for me.

Simona Dobre agrees, saying ‘Combining my family and my career is probably one of the most complicated things I have had to manage, and is one of the things I am also most proud of.’

Despite these and other challenges, women in digital health and social protection contribute skills and perspectives that are vital to the sector’s success.

Why diversity is critical for digital health and social protection

Social protection programs have a disproportionate impact on women because they face specific life-course risks, including unpaid care responsibilities, heightened exposure to gender-based violence, and structural barriers to full economic and financial participation.

Astrid Uytterhaegen and Wei Lu of the World Bank work with Khumbo Mologo in Lilongwe, Malawi. ©World Bank

For Wei Lu, this is the number-one reason why digital social protection programs must be developed by teams that include women. Pointing to well-established research showing that diverse teams outperform homogenous teams for problem solving and product delivery, she says ‘It’s about diversity and not women’s innate or universal qualities. The designs of IT systems for social protection must be validated through the lived experiences of women and girls.’

Kristin Chloe Pascual, Projects Manager and openIMIS Regional (Asia) Hub Coordinator at AeHIN, says the same is true of digital health systems,

We need methodologies to harness a broader set of voices in digital health – including from women, LGBTQIA, people of colour, and people with disabilities.

Without diverse perspectives, digital systems risk reinforcing existing inequalities. Strengthening the participation and retention of women in the tech workforce is therefore essential for building inclusive, user-centred social protection systems that reach those who need them most.

More diverse voices in tech in turn inspire more women to work in tech. As Suravi Bhandary says, ‘in social protection, technology is about creating pathways for dignity and inclusion and can be harnessed to promote more equitable as well as more efficient systems, which I find so inspiring.’

Women’s contribution to tech and user-centred design

At a recent meeting of the openIMIS community of practice, women and men came together to discuss the challenges women face in their tech careers, alongside potential solutions. An opening icebreaker on the qualities women bring to tech led to the word cloud shown in Fig. 1.

There was clear agreement that women contribute perspectives, experiences, and skills that are critical for user-centred digital health and social protection systems, including a focus on how technologies are used in practice and whether they truly work for both frontline users and the populations they are designed to serve. As Suravi Bhandary explains,

I see my role as making sure technology is used in ways that help social protection organisations deliver on their mandates more effectively, and in a more human-centred way.

Others emphasise responsible and ethical approaches to technology development. Simona Dobre, who founded DevAIs, notes that she chose the company’s name to reflect both its focus on DEVeloping AI modelS and a deeper commitment to the societal and environmental responsibilities that accompany new technologies. The play on the French word “devais” (“should have” in English) underlines this sense of obligation.

Women also highlighted creativity, collaboration and knowledge-sharing as key strengths. Karolliny Lima reflects, ‘I’m happiest when sharing my knowledge through teaching and collaborating with others, and I feel fortunate to be able to manage projects and to work on and deliver innovative solutions in order to help solve society’s problems.’

And in the fast-moving field of tech, hard work and self-direction are equally vital. Wanza Mwathani, Technical Advisor at the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI) observes, ‘the tech career path demands continuous learning. Although the foundations are taught, I would say 70 percent of the required expertise has to be acquired through proactive self-learning. Staying competitive requires constantly mastering emerging tools and trends.’

(l-r) Anna Deniz (GIZ), Wanza Mwathani (DCI), Rachelle Jung (GIZ), and Janine Lichter (GIZ). ©DCI

Summing up the discussion, Simona Dobre emphasised how women’s hard work, empathy, and people-centred perspectives complement men’s contributions to technology projects. It is this complementarity that underscores why retaining women in tech matters – and why targeted strategies are needed to support their progression.

Enabling women to achieve their potential in tech

Retaining more women in technology careers will entail a multi-pronged approach, combining gender-sensitive policies, accessible digital skills training, visible role models, mentorship, and more supportive working environments.

A growing number of initiatives show how these elements can work in practice. The openIMIS community is one example. Through portraits, interviews and themed meetings of the community, openIMIS highlights women’s experiences and career journeys, offering both inspiration and practical guidance for future technologists. As Suravi Bhandary notes, ‘These stories are very encouraging for girls and young women in the digital space.’

Regional initiatives are also playing a significant role. The work of AeHIN in gender mainstreaming has demonstrated how regional leadership can filter down to country-level success. And, as a professional association, KeHIA is helping to strengthen standards, promote inclusive practices, and elevate women’s participation across health informatics organisations.

Other useful, lower-cost suggestions made by women include, forums for regular discussion and peer support for women working in tech, virtual networking opportunities where women can link up with potential mentors and where women tech leaders may be invited to talk about their tech careers, and collaboration with networks and initiatives working to increase diversity in tech

Finally, for many women, supportive team cultures make a tangible difference. At the DCI, Wanza Mwathani is working for the first time in a predominantly female team. She says, ‘Right now, I don’t feel I have to be a spokesperson for the entire gender because our team lead is a woman in tech who has been working in tech for a long time. She is very supportive, and I find this inspiring.’

The power of mentorship and confidence-building

Across all interviews and workshops, mentorship emerged as one of the most effective ways to support women’s progression. Sylvia Mwelu expresses this eloquently, saying,

One of the things I have appreciated throughout my journey is to have women who have walked before me who I can look up to and get mentorship from. It’s very important to have people who look like you, who sound like you and who are in places you want to get to.

Sylvia Mwelu, Digital Health Technical Lead at KeHIA. ©Mwelu/KeHIA

Confidence building also plays a crucial role. As an adviser, Wanza Mwathani tries to instil confidence in women starting out in their tech careers, by encouraging them and letting them make mistakes, and by not rushing them as they pick up new skills.

Nearly all the women consulted expressed a desire to support and mentor others – and many are already doing so. What is needed now are stronger structures and networks to harness this willingness and connect women across organisations and regions.

Together, these strategies help shape a more inclusive digital health ecosystem – one where women’s expertise is recognised, valued, and central to building digital social protection systems that truly meet people’s needs.

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After the first round of reflection during the Community Meeting in September 2025, the openIMIS initiative continues to actively facilitate discussions around the topic of ‘Women in Tech’. From 2026, the Initiative plans to connect with other initiatives and networks working in this sphere. If you or your organization would be interested to connect with us, please reach out to [email protected]. We look forward to working with you!

Original article published on the Healthy DEvelopments page here.

Written by Corinne Grainger, December 2025