Product management sector not excluded from gender disparities in Africa’s tech ecosystem
Practical Product, a community of product leaders and enthusiasts, released a State Of Product Management In Africa Report (PDF) on Monday, May 10, 2021, based on a survey conducted between February 15 and March 1, 2021.
215 project managers based in Africa were surveyed, with many from the fintech industry. Among the others were traditional financial institutions, education technology, health technology, and agritech.
What is the report about?
This report examined the continent's state of project management. Among other things, the gender disparity in the field of project management stood out.
Africa's technology ecosystem has grown at a commendable rate over the last decade. The future is extremely promising, from the rise of startups in diverse fields of technology to intercontinental expansions.
Ironically, this growth has been characterized by the slow pace of women's inclusion in technology.
Men outnumber women in Africa's project management sector by nearly 150 percent, mirroring trends observed in the broader technology sector.
Although women are achieving great things in Africa's technology sector, the man-woman dichotomy could use some balancing.
129 (59.8 percent) of the 215 project managers surveyed identified as men, while 85 (39.7 percent ) identified as women. Less than 1% of respondents indicated a preference for not disclosing their gender.
Moving up the ranks, women hold 45% of prime ministerial positions and 26% of senior prime ministerial positions. Only 25% of women hold vice president/head of product positions. On average, men hold 74% of senior positions.
Additionally, the report stated that 93 (43 percent ) of the 215 respondents — 27 women (29 percent ) and 65 men (70 percent ) — earn $1,000 per month.
According to the survey respondents, 74% of men (96) and 54% of women (37) were satisfied with their jobs.
14% of female Assistant Product Managers (APMs) expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs, citing a variety of reasons, from a lack of support on the job to a lack of clarity regarding their career path to being underpaid.
The gender divide in Africa's tech ecosystem is still worth discussing. We've discussed this issue numerous times, told the stories of notable individuals, and examined practical ways to close the divide.
Even as Africa's tech industry grows, we hope that this disparity and existing stereotypes will be eroded. At the end of the day, biological differences are not predictive of mental and skill-learning abilities.
In Summary
The Practical Product report surveyed the skills, compensation, and general well-being of project managers in Africa, with issues such as a lack of autonomy and a hostile work environment cited as significant challenges for many project managers.
Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, and Uganda were among the countries that participated in the survey.
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