Why a man has been picked as a finalist for 'Women in Technology' award in Australia

In a bizarre incident which has caused outrage on social media, a man has been named as a finalist for a 'Women in Technology' award in Australia.

According to reports, Simon Button, a digital leader in the country, has been nominated for 'Inspiring Diversity in STEM' category along with three other candidates -- all women.

Women in Technology, an Australia-based association, explained the reason in a post on Facebook saying it was the first time that the body "offered an award that is open to all genders and it reflects how our community attitudes are changing".

Button is the group chief technology officer at Qscan, an Australian company that specialises in radiology.

“We welcome the inclusion of our first male finalist and look forward to seeing more male leaders who support women being nominated in the future,” the association said.

However, not all were impressed with the move and reactions poured in social media slamming the decision to nominate a male in a women award category.

"So you wanna give the award to a man, in the category of WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY, because he supports women... in technology?" one user said.

“So, you have a white man, instead of choosing, say, a black woman, native woman, or other woman of color?” another asked.

"Lol is this a joke," said a third.

“Seriously? Parks and Rec already did this, did we not learn from that?” asked another.

According to the association's website, Button is a "digital leader who values all voices and champions diversity and equity in the organisations he leads".

The other finalists in the category alongside Button are Professor Amy Mullens, a psychologist who harbours interest in marginalised communities; Professor Kym Rae, a research fellow in indigenous health and Dr Jyoti Sharma, a pharmaceutical researcher .

The theme of this year's award -- 'Writing the future' -- is a tribute to women's outstanding contribution women to define, shape and grow the digital economy of Australia, Iyari Cevallos, the association's chair, said.