Today, there are lots of opinions about women in IT. Some people consider this field not applicable to women, while others encourage them to grow and develop in STEM fields. It is time to break gender inequality and promote science and technology among Ukrainian girls. Sergey Tokarev, Ukrainian IT entrepreneur and co-founder of the investment group Roosh, commented on the contribution of gender equality to business development in the country.
“In Roosh ecosystem companies, we pay a lot of attention to achieving gender equality because we see it as the right thing from all perspectives. From a business standpoint, it leads to many innovative solutions that arise from teams with an equal ratio of men and women. Despite efforts at the business and government levels, the global issue of gender imbalance remains relevant, not only in the IT sector,” noted the businessman.
Sergey Tokarev shares about the activities of the Ukrainian educational project STEM is FEM. This project is aimed to promote science among Ukrainian girls, introduce them to female researchers, and encourage girls to choose STEM specialities.
Another project’s goal is to create a community of like-minded individuals who will support and motivate each other. Below, the IT entrepreneur shares the stories of two girls who participated in STEM is FEM and have already made a contribution to Ukrainian science and IT.
Yuliia Tkachenko is an 18-year-old student at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Sergey Tokarev highlighted she began to be interested in drones when she was in high school. She made investigations to improve the performance of Bayraktar drones, knowing their weak point–failed aim in bad weather conditions. So, she proposed a solution to add a laser sight to the drone. As a result, along with a professor from the National Aviation University, she could develop a radar station for the Ukrainian military. Currently, Yuliia is involved in an IT startup in the healthcare sector.
Another STEM is FEM community member is Nadiia Kasyanchuk, a final-year student in the master’s program at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland. She studies medical biotechnology and works with genomic data, specifically researching microbiome changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In 2023, she received four awards at prestigious international conferences in Germany, Slovakia, Moldova, and Latvia. Additionally, Nadiia teaches the course “Human Genetics & Society” at the Kyiv School of Economics.
Sergey Tokarev notes that such projects like STEM is FEM can help many Ukrainian young women obtain IT education, invaluable experience, and bring many perspectives and innovative solutions to Ukraine.
STEM is FEM was initiated by Ukrainian IT entrepreneur and co-founder of the investment group Roosh, Sergey Tokarev. In 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine honored the project with the title “Honorary Ambassador of Ukraine in the field of scientific and educational diplomacy.”
