A completed Ethical Digital research project exploring why Indigenous women are underrepresented in technology and how research, community, and a hackathon helped spark change in Saskatchewan.
2.2% of the Canadian tech workforce is Indigenous and even fewer are women. We interviewed over 100 Indigenous women to understand their thoughts on working in technology.
With funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada, Ethical Digital interviewed and surveyed 123 Indigenous women to better understand the challenges and barriers that deter them from pursuing careers in technology.
Our data indicates that Indigenous women in Saskatchewan are comfortable with technology. The question then becomes: why are Indigenous women not proportionally represented in the tech industry? Or, what about the tech industry is not attractive to Indigenous women?
Research - Download the research report
Here is a snapshot of the top four barriers in the report findings.
Theme 1: Indigenous women are interested in the tech industry but face significant financial barriers when pursuing training and/or a career in technology
47% of Indigenous women noted that funding/money was the number one barrier when pursuing a career in technology.
Theme 2: Indigenous women are interested in tech training and careers but are concerned they would have to leave their families and communities to access opportunities.
28% of Indigenous women noted that training location/career location is a barrier to them working in the tech industry.
Theme 3: Indigenous women noted that educational and professional requirements are barriers to pursuing training and careers in the tech industry.
52% of Indigenous women noted that their current level of education has held them back from working in the tech industry.
Theme 4: Indigenous women's family obligations and childcare often keep them from pursuing training and careers in the tech industry.
9% of respondents noted that childcare and or family obligations were obstacles in attaining training or careers in the tech field.
Thank you to Tara Oliver, Alexandra Jarrett, and Alina Perrault for their excellent research and project coordination. After the research was complete, Ethical Digital hosted an Indigenous Women in Tech hackathon with many community partners that was life-changing for everyone who participated (check out the video above).
Indigenous Women in Tech Project Advisory Committee
We had a very strong advisory committee:
Milton Tootoosis — Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority
Kari Harvey — CEO, Innovation Sask
Sharon Angus — IT Instructor, SIIT
Ryan Thomas — Co-Owner, Indigenous Tech
Max Skudra — Partner, Mokwateh
Alex Shimla — Executive Director, Co.Labs
Rebecca Franklin — Program Lead, Agtech & SCALE
Alina Perrault — Project Coordinator, Ethical Digital
Katrina German — Founder/CEO, Ethical Digital
Shelley Pinacie — Regional Community Relations Lead, Argyle
Leanne Bellegarde — President, Akawe Technologies
Learn about one of our advisors, Sharon Angus, and her journey into a career in technology in the NIITA IT Symposium 2023 presentation on YouTube.
Although the initial funding is now complete, the momentum is still building. Our partners at Saskatchewan Indigenous Development Network are now leading the next stages of this project. We can't wait to see the momentum grow over the next few years as Saskatchewan leads the world in Indigenous technology development.
