Malaysia, the country where IT women thrive
Audio 02:31
Two Malaysian students work together.
(Photo illustration) Getty Images - nazar_ab
By: Gabrielle Maréchaux Follow
6 mins
In Malaysia, computers are not the preserve of men at university and it is a phenomenon that seems to be firmly established.
The phenomenon has been analyzed since 2006 and shows that promotion after promotion, female students are often more numerous than male students.
And when men are in the majority, they never represent more than 60% of the classes.
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It is a solemn scene that might seem trivial.
When their names are announced, these computer science students step forward in their ceremonial attire to receive their graduation diploma.
But as these young Malaysians parade a realization occurs: there are as many men as there are women.
This almost unique Malaysian peculiarity, Rodziah Latih, herself a computer science graduate, was one of the first to document it.
"
What led us to study this phenomenon with a colleague,
" she explains, "
is our own astonishment when we returned from England, where we did our Master, where parity is not at all. reached, then it was
!
"
If the stereotypes which consider IT as a field of male study therefore seem very far from reality in Malaysia, for Rodziah Latih this profession could even have advantages for women.
"
When you have a computer science degree or can be a freelance programmer, work at home, and that can be practical if you have a family to take care of,
" says the researcher.
But even before entering the workforce, Malaysian computer universities are arguably more hospitable to young women, notes Rodziah Latih.
"
In the United States all teachers are men
," she continues, "
suddenly it is only boys who go in these fields.
But in Malaysia, this is not the case at all, many teachers are women.
"
Among them, Dr Sameem Abdul Kareem.
She has been working at the oldest and most prestigious university in the country for 27 years: Universiti Malaya, in the IT department of which she is now president.
His passion for computers was born abroad, a bit by chance.
“
I was studying math when I first used a computer,”
says Sameem Abdul Kareem, “
and I discovered that there was one thing that really excited me about computing, and that is the fact. to solve problems.
I could spend hours doing a computer exercise, then I had never spent so much time doing homework.
"
For her, the way in which IT is categorized in Malaysia may explain the gender equality found there.
“
In Malaysia, computer science is taught in science faculties, while for other countries computer science is in engineering and high school, all good students are pushed into science.
"
And among Malaysian computer scientists, a certain solidarity seems to exist, notably through the activities of the NGO Women Who Code KL, of which Yong Shen is the head.
For this application developer, the benefits of mixed teams are seen every day.
“
Female developers tend to spot small errors in lines of code better that boys don't notice,”
said Yong Shen.
Because I think girls are educated to be meticulous.
And that sometimes helped prevent big bugs.
"
Working wherever she wants as long as she has her computer with her, with great autonomy, Yong Shen says she particularly appreciates the great freedom she enjoys.
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