Technology is at a most exciting and innovative stage, yet women are still not pursuing leadership careers in this industry. There are numerous opportunities for interesting, fulfilling careers at the moment in tech, but businesses aren’t doing enough to encourage women to take on those opportunities.
There are certainly benefits to having more women in the tech industry. Women offer a different perspective on tech issues and having more diversity in any industry is essential to ensure that products and services are created with everyone in mind, not just one portion of the population. But we’re not at a place where leadership and senior teams are sufficiently balanced when it comes to gender. So, how can businesses reinvent those opportunities and do more to encourage women to apply?
The state of women in tech
More women are earning STEM degrees than ever before, but the industry still has many inequalities and problems which hold women back from advancing. A 2021 report found that women are four times more likely to consider gender bias an obstacle to a promotion compared to men, and the culture of tech businesses makes unconscious bias a real problem that women face every day. Women are very much outnumbered in the tech industry which means that their voices aren’t heard.
A study from Girls Who Code found that women aged 25-34 are increasingly dissatisfied with the prospects they face in their career, claiming that unsupportive work environments, a lack of role models and the sacrifices they’re asked to make in their personal lives as reasons why they can’t advance in the industry.
1. Address unique needs
Businesses need to be adaptable to accommodate the unique needs of their staff, and that includes emotional ones. There’s a connection between happy staff, motivation and employee retention, so it’s in a company’s best interests to support their team with anything they’re struggling with.
Which is to say, the more supported a female employee feels with balancing work and home life, and other needs, the more likely they are to remain in the business as a productive, motivated and engaged employee. As MPB’s Chief Technology Officer explains “empathy is a super-power that I have seen more in women than men. I feel it makes people better communicators, more authentic leaders and inspires followership among the team so everyone is working for the same goals”.
A large part of this work should be focused on addressing a woman’s functional requirements, whether that’s work/life balance, benefits or compensation, because much as the inequality isn’t fair, the reality is women are still primary caregivers in many homes around the world and remain on lower wages compared to their male colleagues. While it’s easy enough to provide for functional needs, businesses may need to work harder on satisfying emotional needs, such as helping staff feel valued and supported, and above all, respected.
2. Accept non-linear CVs
CVs can be a roadblock for women who want to work up to a higher rank, because while male staff tend to have a linear career, women often move into different roles and departments, often moving horizontally in a company when their career aspirations are blocked.
But while this means their job history may be more widespread, it also offers a benefit for businesses who are willing to look past the job titles and dig deeper into the skill set they’ve acquired. Soft skills still offer advantages for a team and are part of the process of creating a diverse team, so looking past keywords when it comes to skills is essential to enable women to get into leadership roles.
3. Engage male allies
The ‘bro culture’ in tech is incredibly pervasive and it can be off-putting to women who want to progress but feel pushed out of the culture. And even men agree that this fosters a less than desirable environment. But while men may sit at the heart of the problem, they can also be the solution. Engaging male allies and creating a culture that respects women and includes them supports everyone’s professional growth and creates a diverse, supportive work culture.
Male allyship ultimately boils down to the fact that mutual respect and diversity is everyone’s concern, not just minorities. A lack of diversity impacts the entire business and even small gestures such as speaking up when you spot injustices or ensuring that there’s a balance in recruitment processes can help to create a more balanced industry that’s fair to all.
4. Accommodate generational differences
As businesses in the tech industry begin to hire more women, they’ll notice an increase in the number of millennials and Gen Z applicants, as these groups make up a large proportion of the workforce. But it’s important that if women are going to reach leadership positions, that recruitment accommodates people from all walks of life, all ages and those whose life cycle has changed over the years due to family responsibilities.
Tech businesses need to be flexible to accommodate career breaks, childcare responsibilities and similar lifestyles. There’s a lot of ageism in the tech industry, in large part because of lingering stereotypes that claim older people aren’t tech savvy. But there’s also a good chance that women seeking to advance in the industry are older, having come back to work after pregnancy, for example, so the industry needs to be open to taking on people who maybe don’t fit the classic mould.
Female employees remain underrepresented in tech, despite the numerous conversations around gender diversity and gaps in the industry. But while we still haven’t achieved gender parity, there is still hope that the tech industry can evolve to support women who want to advance in this field and reach leadership level.
Women want to feel supported in their career endeavours, respected in the workplace and offered the same opportunities as their male colleagues. And the outcome for businesses that offer this to all staff, not just male employees, is a productive, diverse and motivated team that’s eager to learn and build their skills.
