cREATE TEcH THAT

International Women’s Day is upon us once again and the annual tradition of White Women Celebrating Equality via Ticketed Breakfasts commences. Whilst many valid criticisms of the culture surrounding IWD emerge each year, it’s also our duty to combat creeping tokenism by honouring the roots of the women’s equality movement and the role we all play in creating an equitable future for all women.

This year’s theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” draws attention to a critical area which impacts outcomes for women and girls. It urges women to #crackthecode and use innovation in technology to push for gender equality.

We speak here with three Australian women of subcontinental background about the work they’re doing in this regard, in their fields of financial literacy, safety, and gaming.

As part of a large digital transformation program, Sneha coaches and enables development teams on how to maximise outcomes for banking customers. Like much of the STEM and IT industries, DevOps (sometimes referred to as software development) has historically been a densely male industry. However, as US researcher Caroline Criado Perez points out in her book Invisible Women, there is design bias in everything from seatbelts to pianos – all of which were designed and tested based on male subjects by male-led development teams. This demonstrates the flaws of not having women in the design and creative process. Sneha sheds light on how she makes it her mission to “make it easier for women to manage money.” Speaking about South Asian culture, she mentions that historically women have felt uncomfortable or even stigma when asked about family finances.

“Fundamentally there is a barrier or a mental block where women think they don’t really need to manage their finances, and rely on their partners instead,” Sneha says. “By making it easier and simpler for women to manage money on their own, and by building accessible apps, we can make sure they have confidence using the tools.”

Alongside development, Sneha is also passionate about financial literacy for women and girls. “I am a big advocate for financial literacy programs specifically designed for