Gender segregation in technology and promotional responses: an analysis of Amazontech Girls as a pilot intervention in a school context and inter-institutional cooperation.
Gender equality in technology, Women's inclusion in technology, ICT training, Educational intervention, Women in computing
This work analyzes gender segregation in technology and the possibilities of constructing situated promotional responses, drawing on the study of AmazonTech Meninas, a pilot intervention for introductory training in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for high school girls developed in Porto Velho, Rondônia, within an interinstitutional cooperation framework. The research problem consists of investigating to what extent structured educational interventions, implemented within the scope of initial training and organized through interinstitutional cooperation, can act as effective responses to addressing gender segregation in technology, especially in regional contexts marked by educational inequalities and institutional limitations. The general objective is to analyze AmazonTech Meninas in terms of its conception, logical design, implementation, immediate results, limitations, and potential for conversion into a technical product. The research adopts a qualitative approach, using a case-study design to evaluate a pilot intervention. It includes a literature review, systematization of empirical evidence, document analysis, implementation records, pedagogical materials, and evaluation instruments produced within the scope of the intervention. This work demonstrates that the underrepresentation of women in ICT does not stem from natural differences in aptitude or interest, but from historical, sociocultural, educational, and institutional processes that affect access, belonging, retention, and progression. Empirically, the pilot study analysis indicates the relevance of interventions implemented before the definitive professional or academic choice, especially in high school, grounded in practical learning, female role models, a sense of belonging, and institutional articulation. However, their effects should be interpreted with caution, given the small sample size, limited time frame, and lack of longitudinal follow-up. As an applied contribution, the dissertation proposes the AmazonTech Girls Technical-Operational Protocol, a technical product designed to guide the implementation of introductory ICT pathways for high school girls, with guidelines for diagnosis, governance, pedagogical design, execution, evaluation, and minimum sustainability. It concludes that structured and cooperative educational interventions can constitute relevant instruments for addressing gender segregation in technology, provided they are integrated into broader strategies of continuing education, professional learning, monitoring, and promotion of substantive equality.