Technology workers have represented a growing share of Canadian employment over the past 10 years. As of December 2021, there were 1.7 million information and communications technology (ICT) workers employed across all sectors of the economy — around 9% of the total Canadian workforce. These numbers are only expected to increase as the demand for digital skills continues to grow in the digital economy.

In contrast to increasing demand for digital talent, the share of people of marginalized genders in tech remains low (i.e., trans and cis women, and all trans, Two Spirit, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people). For example, despite making up 47% of Canada’s workforce, the share of women in tech has stagnated at less than 30% for the last 10 years. Additional and compounded workplace challenges for women who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) in tech occupations further contribute to low levels of gender diversity in the digital economy. Furthermore, while public awareness of gender nonconforming (GNC) people has recently increased along with demands for targeted data collection, the GNC community in tech remains small. These low levels of representation are pervasive, appearing across provincial boundaries as well as internationally in the United States and the European Union.

While gender diversity in the workplace is a complex socio-cultural issue, tech employers can use some simple tools to begin making their recruitment strategies and workplaces more inclusive. This report combines insights from 80+ conversations with experts and a survey of 240 digital economy employers across Canada as well as a synthesis of gender equity literature to identify key challenges and opportunities for tech employers who want to attract, retain, and support entry- and mid- level tech talent.

In this installment of ICTC’s Gender in Tech Series, ICTC’s Maryna Ivus sits down with Tamara Goddard, an Indigenous woman who works in tech. They talk about Tamara’s experiences in the sector, the opportunities for Indigenous women, how companies can improve Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in their organizations, and her advice for young women who want to enter the tech sector.

Tamara is from Saulteau First Nation in northeastern British Columbia. She is a CEO of Four Our Future Indigenous Economics Ltd. (“Four Our Future”), an Indigenous-owned corporation founded by Indigenous thought leaders in Canada. Four Our Future specializes in developing and implementing sustainably focused strategic plans, business plans, and community economic development models. It identifies and addresses the dichotomy between Western corporate business models and more “holistic” Indigenous/community development models. Four Our Future works with individuals, industry, governments, and investors to build strong foundations and community capacity for Indigenous economic growth and prosperity.

Tamara is also one of the strategists and a Creative Director for 400 Drums (Non-Fungible Tokens) NFT Project. 400 Drums is a campaign dedicated to supporting Indigenous elders, artists, language speakers and tour operators to harness new online platforms to monetize their skills while sharing their teachings and stories.

The Only Woman in the Room 

Tamara is a business negotiator and developer of Indigenous economic strategies, a role that includes very few women. In fact, she has usually been the only woman at the negotiation table for more than 20 years.

“I think that tech is really missing out on women,” she says. “I see that some of the tech projects led by women often do very well. Women are natural communicators and it’s something that should be taken advantage of. Often, women’s emotions are not very welcome at the table, and the ways that women think about things are often depreciated because of the business models that are based on Western capitalist structures or otherwise old models.”

Working in tech encompasses many opportunities; however, people often think that to enter the field, a person has to be an information scientist, a computer engineer, or have a master’s degree. Tamara emphasizes that these are not the only options. She sees a world of difference between various segments of the tech sector — for example, in the web development or non-fungible tokens (NFT) space.

“The Web3 environment connected me with many women and men,” she says. “Stepping out of the general tech into the NFT space is also a completely different experience. It’s very supportive of women, and it’s a great place for women to be.”

Another example is Web3, a new iteration of the World Wide Web based on blockchain technology. In this medium, women can apply their creativity and unique insights. While many of these teams are completely new to Web3, they often comprise people from various backgrounds and levels of tech experience.

“So it’s more about finding a community that can help you actualize your vision,” Tamara says.

Read the full interview here 🎙