Support for women and girls becomes key message at International Tester’s Day

There are no impossible tasks for women in tech

The International Tester’s Day celebrations began with a hackathon held in partnership with Business and Technology University (BTU), UNFPA and UN Women. Leading software-testing professionals competed to assess software performance, identify defects and develop effective testing strategies. With support from UN Women, a team of girls also took part in the hackathon, which provided participants with an opportunity to gain practical experience, strengthen their skills and further their professional development.

The team members—Guranda Lemonjava, Anano Topuria, Gvantsa Shakarashvili, Lana Gogua and Tamar Kurtsikashvili—are graduates of joint training programmes implemented by BTU and UN Women, during which they successfully completed training in digital product testing and development. They are also now members of TechWomen Community, a platform for women and girls interested in technology and innovation, which was established last year through a partnership between UN Women, BTU and D Block.

During the hackathon, the girls spent four hours testing one of the existing social media products, prepared documentation in line with the requirements, identified defects and produced detailed reports classifying them by type and severity.

“Working with people you have just met is both a major challenge and an excellent opportunity to further develop teamwork and rapid problem-solving skills,” said Guranda Lemonjava, the team captain, after the hackathon. “For most of us, it was our first time participating in a hackathon, and it proved to be a truly interesting experience. Each of us gained a great deal of practical experience, and we were also happy with the results. This knowledge will directly contribute to our everyday professional work and career development.” Guranda added that supporting girls’ participation in such events is another step towards equality: “These initiatives help us as women to rediscover our potential and capabilities, not to be afraid of [taking on] challenges and breaking down existing stereotypes. Most importantly, they reassure us that there are no impossible tasks for women in tech.”

Women and girls working in tech constantly have to prove that they deserve to be in the field

Women have made significant progress in the global tech industry; nevertheless, they continue to face numerous challenges. The barriers women encounter and ways to overcome them were among the pressing issues discussed at a meeting with Janna Loeffler, Director of Quality Engineering at The Walt Disney Company, organized for members of TechWomen Community with the support of UN Women.

Janna has more than 20 years of experience working on a wide range of products in the field of software quality assurance. She spoke to participants about her professional journey and the strategies that helped her advance her career at different stages. She also shared practical advice on building confidence, advocating for themselves, overcoming professional barriers and continuing to grow in their careers.

“For years, I thought I constantly had to prove that I belong in this field—until I realized the truth: I was smart and good enough,” Janna said at the end of her remarks. “I want every woman and girl in this room to know that you do not need anyone else’s permission to believe in yourself: your own assessment is already enough.”

Supporting tester girls: an important step towards reducing gender inequality in tech

For women and girls who face numerous barriers to starting or advancing their careers in technology, software quality testing can often provide an accessible entry point into the tech sector. For this reason, UN Women has been collaborating with the Georgian Software Testing Qualifications Board (GeoSTQB) for several years and supporting its various initiatives to give more women and girls an opportunity to learn about the profession, gain practical knowledge, expand their professional networks and pursue other career paths in technology.

This was also the aim of a UN Women initiative that enabled five young women participating in joint BTU–UN Women training programmes to attend a major conference held on 9 September to mark International Tester’s Day.

The event brought together software quality engineers, developers and tech leaders. The conference provided a platform for discussing current challenges and emerging trends in the industry and sharing experiences from international projects and other initiatives. Therefore, it enabled the young women to gain valuable professional knowledge, learn about the latest developments in the field and expand their professional networks.

Notably, GeoSTQB regularly conducts research on the software-testing market and identifies gender gaps within the sector. The most recent study, the findings of which were presented at the same conference, shows that gender disparities in the sector are evident in both the gender pay gap and in career progression. While gender balance is relatively well maintained at entry levels, with women holding more than 45 per cent of junior positions, their representation falls to around 25 per cent at senior levels. It is also noteworthy that men dominate higher-paid specializations, contributing to the gender pay gap. Against this backdrop, even small-scale initiatives supporting girls can play an important role in narrowing existing gaps.

“Implementing joint projects over the years has helped defy the stereotypes suggesting that engineering and tech fields are not suitable for women,” said Natia Sirbiladze, Co-Founder and member of the Executive Board of GeoSTQB. “By bringing together our experience, we are creating a supportive environment where young women entering the field have opportunities to acquire knowledge, strengthen their skills and become part of professional networks. This, in turn, supports their career development and economic empowerment.”

UN Women will continue its cooperation with GeoSTQB and its support for girls pursuing careers in software testing.

Support for the International Tester’s Day celebrations was provided as part of the UN Women regional programme “Women’s Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies”, generously funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.