WomenInTech. Girls from Tajikistan on the barriers for women in IT

Nozanin Zuxridinzoda, city — Dushanbe, IT Project Manager, @the_nozzza

About Me

I work part-time as an IT Project Manager at one of the largest financial technology companies in Tajikistan, Alif Bank JSC. I oversee the development of the bank's processing systems, which range from handling customer payments to processing and automating reporting and accounting operations. Currently, I am working on 15 large and small projects and communicate daily with 20 team members and numerous external partners.

Another aspect of my work is more altruistic. I actively mentor three junior specialists at our company and conduct training sessions, assessments, and various consulting sessions for people who are just getting started in the IT universe. This includes speaking at IT platforms, Talks, and events, conducting trainings, consultations, or evaluating graduates in schools that prepare IT specialists.

How I Entered the IT Profession

I entered IT by chance. I simply saw a job opening for technical support in a development team, applied, and, to my surprise, passed the first interview.

Even at the beginning of my work in technical support, I realized my calling was in management, as I quickly finished my part of the work and helped IT managers with their tasks, while simultaneously studying this field. Thus, within six months, I was noticed and offered a project manager position for two projects. Within a year, thanks to hard work and immense support from colleagues, I advanced from an intern to a Middle PM, and I was offered a new, more complex and extensive team where I currently manage 11 projects in parallel.

After another six months, I was promoted again and offered the position of Assistant Head of three large teams, where I had to work with product developers, managers, and the technical support team to stabilize the product and improve processes. And now, at this stage, I work as an IT Project Manager and Assistant Head.

On Stereotypes

My biggest fear was encountering gender-based stereotypes, as in all IT teams where I have worked, the vast majority, 97%, are men. Fortunately, throughout my three years of experience, I have never encountered sexism or any violation of my rights simply because I am a woman.

I have encountered other stereotypes, such as ageism, as I was 21 at the beginning of my career and worked with people much older and more experienced than me. There was a lack of trust in me as a specialist, but through hard work, I was able to quickly dispel this stereotype.

There is also a common stereotype about the role of a manager in IT, that management is a peripheral IT profession and you are an "incomplete" IT specialist because you don't write code. I strongly disagree with this and repeatedly, through hard work, convince everyone who still thinks otherwise otherwise.

Barriers for Women in IT

If you face difficulties at work simply because you are a "woman" or a "man," do not waste any of your energy trying to change the company; instead, gather all your resources and change the company! You can certainly achieve results in a sexist company through persistent work, but in return, you will spend a huge amount of your energy, and energy is a valuable resource. Unfortunately, we already live in a society where we constantly have to prove to our families and those around us that we can do everything on equal footing with men. My position on this is clear: if you are discriminated against at work based on gender, change jobs!

If you face other difficulties, gather all your energy and solve them through hard work.

Recommendations for Those Just Starting Their Path

1. The first and most important thing is not to be afraid to enter IT! Determine your true path from within after entering or during the entry phase through deep analysis and consultations with experts.

2. Do not forget about a strong theoretical foundation; theory is indeed important, but do not spend too much time on theory. Take a few courses, study the basics, and enter the field, as nothing yields better results than practical work. Do not delay practice and do not get stuck on theory during the entry phase into the profession.

3. Cast aside the fear that this is some otherworldly field and only the chosen few can achieve results in it. Believe me, IT is exactly the same field as all other fields in the world, and in absolutely all areas, you will achieve results only through hard work, not because you are chosen or because Mercury is retrograde. Believe in yourself, value your energy, direct it in the right direction, and achieve results!

Oliya Raxmatova, city — Dushanbe, Software Engineer, Freelancer/Outsourcer, IT Mentor, Organizer of GDG Dushanbe, @oliya_rax

About Me

I have been working in the IT field since I was 16. I started my path with frontend development. I did not attend courses; I have always been self-taught. Today, I am a software engineer. I work as a freelancer and outsourced developer. I develop websites, web applications, Telegram chatbots, and work with Figma as a UX/UI designer. Additionally, I am a mentor, teaching students and seniors to improve their qualifications in the IT direction. Furthermore, I am an IT methodologist. I create IT syllabi and training programs for private commercial institutions. Moreover, I am an organizer of Google Developer Groups in Dushanbe, as well as a WTM Ambassador.

"Failures + Anxiety = Persistence" — in that exact order — is how I have walked my path.

I have had failures and setbacks in projects. On my first order — creating an online store — the client did not pay for four months of work. Thanks to this experience, I learned how to draft contracts and agreements.

Thanks to failures and constant anxiety, I gained the necessary character trait — persistence. But especially, I would like to express my gratitude to Shokhin Rakibovna, my curator at the university. It was she who showed me through her actions what persistence is, and a big thank you to Mullosharaf Arapov, who helped me develop my potential.

How I Entered the IT Profession

My path began at the age of 12. I have always liked spending time at the computer. I am a child of 2001; at that time, even the MS Office suite was entertainment for me. The internet used to be expensive, so we always relied on discs.

My father gave me a disc for learning HTML and CSS from scratch. From time to time, I would sit down to study with this disc on my own. It took me about a week to learn one topic. When I understood how things worked and how to write them correctly, I cried with joy that I was succeeding and understanding.

But unfortunately, I eventually abandoned self-study of HTML and CSS because I had no one to talk to about it. My peers did not understand, they laughed at me, and I decided that I would no longer share my successes in web programming.

However, when I created a website for my school in the 10th grade, I believed in my abilities and decided that after finishing the 11th grade, I would apply to technical universities for an IT direction. My parents were against it because they worried that I would not be able to get into such universities. I spent all my time studying English and German for admission to a humanities program. Nevertheless, within two months, I managed to prepare and achieved the passing score, thanks to my parents for their support.

On Stereotypes

In various fields, from website development to managing an international company, I have faced distrust and rejection due to my gender and young age. Despite my professional skills and achievements, I have had to overcome stereotypes and prove my competence in every new situation.

As a female developer, I face disrespect at work; I have even been accused and told, "It's impossible that she did this work!" Working with male colleagues can be difficult because they try to elevate themselves while belittling you.

Being a female software engineer is difficult from the perspective of the Eastern mentality. Nevertheless, I continue my path and help my students.

I have personally felt the pain and loneliness of self-study without the help of a mentor and community. I do not want anyone else to experience this pain. This motivates me to help young people through the social project of Google Developer Groups in Dushanbe. I believe that through such social IT projects, we can change the IT situation in Tajikistan.

Barriers for Women in IT

The main difficulty that every woman faces is her household responsibilities.

The next difficulty in achieving career success is overcoming the feeling of loneliness. Working in a company, especially one focused on IT where the majority are men, means you have no one to talk to. This happens due to the Eastern mentality. If you talk to a guy, it means you are flirting with him, that you like him. Especially if he is married, colleagues will have a bad opinion of you. As a result, you are avoided, and at the same time, some part of the staff treats you familiarly, which is naturally unpleasant. You can talk to girls from other departments, but you have different interests, and you have to adapt to their interests just to talk to someone.

I respect girls who work as regular employees in companies. But for myself, I have realized that I do not want to be a regular employee.

Recommendations for Those Just Starting Their Path

I would advise finding a support community. Communicating with other women in the IT field can help and inspire you. You can even send me messages on Instagram. Your ambitions and drive must be much stronger than the pressure from those around you.

Look for role models. Study the stories of successful women in the IT field and use their experience as a source of inspiration to achieve your goals.

Remember that you are in the IT field by no accident. By choosing this path, you are already proving your dedication to career growth and new challenges. Remember that you deserve success and are ready for it. Just move forward! Do not doubt your abilities. You have all the opportunities to achieve success in IT, just like men.