IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 7

changed a little bit; however, [the] IT
sector still remains mostly reserved
for men."
More than that, "if we listen to the
experiences of older female peers," she
continues, "we will come to understand
many obstacles. For example, employers
have much less confidence in women,
unconditionally trusting men. It is
simply expected to get more and better quality knowledge from men. Being
introduced to these obstacles, it makes
it even harder to decide to study IT if you
are a girl, let alone a pretty girl. Not to
mention Miss Serbia."
Lecic was named Miss Serbia 2012,
and she quickly realized that she didn't
fit people's normal expectations of a
pageant winner or an IT student. The
majority of people find her dedication
to becoming a programmer positively
baffling. They "are convinced that it
is better to make [a] great career in
[an] easier way by utilizing my beauty
pageant title," she says. "On the other
hand, professors at my university are
pleasantly surprised when they discover
that one of their successful students is
Miss Serbia as well. I take a lot of joy
from the fact that I was able, at least
to some degree, to break apart [the]
prejudice that [a] pretty woman can't
be smart."
In 2011, Lecic attended the first Girls
in Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) Day, an annual event
designed to encourage girls and young
women to pursue careers in the fields
of information and communication
technologies. On the fourth Thursday
in April, female students are invited to
ICT companies, research centers, and
university departments. The goal is to
increase their interest and, ultimately,
participation in the sector. Members of
the International Telecommunication
Union, a United Nations agency, agreed
to endorse the day in a resolution at a
2010 conference in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Jasna Matic initiated the resolution with
the idea of ICT "being a very lucrative
sector with great potential. Women have
not been participating in that upside as
they should. I thought that would be a
clear goal to address."

Young women visit the Ministry of Telecommunications during Girls in ICT Day
2011.

Matic is currently a special adviser
for competitiveness and knowledge
economy to the Ministry of Finance and
Economy in Serbia, and Girls in ICT
Day is one of the achievements of which
she is most proud. The first year, events
took place in about a dozen countries;
last year, there were more than 120
events in approximately 90 countries,
reaching more than 30,000 girls. "In
most events, girls will go to ICT and
telecom companies and they will talk to
women who have made careers in the
sector. They will realize how great that

career can be," says Matic. "Initially,
when they are arriving, we ask them,
'So, what do you want to do?' And they
want to be, you know, the usual female
stuff-teachers, hairdressers, doctors,
dentists, things like that. ... But then
on their way back, very many of them
would say, 'Oh man, this is so cool. I
want to be this.'"

Generations of Support
Matic was born in Belgrade in 1964, and
by the time she was in her teens, she
knew she wanted to be an engineer like

The Belgrade career mixer party for university students at Girls in ICT Day 2011.

June 2013

IEEE womEn In EngInEErIng magazInE

7



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - Cover1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - Cover2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 4
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 5
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 6
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 7
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 8
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 9
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 10
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 11
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 12
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 13
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 14
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 16
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 17
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 18
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 19
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 20
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 21
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 22
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 25
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 34
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 35
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 38
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 41
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 44
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 45
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 46
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 47
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - 48
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - Cover3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2013 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2011
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