Top struggles of women in tech, plus three solutions to IT’s gender-diversity challenge: a WIT exclusive by Hays
Not being able to see 'you', nor talk to your future self, is a sure-fire sign that your workplace has a women in tech problem
Women working within the technology sector make a crucial contribution to the way we live our lives in today’s digitally-enabled world, but not without a struggle.
Here, exclusively for Women In Tech, I outline three of the most prominent challenges women navigating the male-dominated tech landscape encounter, and the change that is necessary to create a better future for women in tech, writes Amanda Whicher, a director at Hays UK&I.
Challenge 1: Unconscious Biases and Stereotypes
At the start of my career in tech recruitment, I felt like I had to work ten times harder than my male colleagues to demonstrate my expertise and to be taken seriously.
Although I’ve witnessed progress since my IT-focused career journey began around 17 years ago, preconceived ideas of a person based on their gender are, unfortunately, not a thing of the past.
There can be no 'do not cross' lines
Stereotypes still exist, such as the idea that women are aligned to certain tech roles over others, which has partly led to the skills challenge which the UK has in more technical disciplines. To create a genuinely diverse and inclusive tech workforce, our nation needs to empower females to feel valued across all areas of the tech industry, not just some.
Altering problematic ideas that are inherent within society is no easy feat. It’s much easier to build a house than it is to knock a house down! In other words, a cultural shift is needed to demolish the attitudes and behaviours that have been normalised in the past, and to rebuild new narratives.
Please find your role in the WIT movement - especially if you're male
Regardless of specialisation, seniority, or rank, individuals in IT departments and beyond who are working inside organisations should consider if they are guilty of underestimating women in tech.
And then there should be a reflection on how to do the right thing, so such individuals can be part of the movement towards positive change.
Challenge 2: Significant Underrepresentation
While the outlook for women in tech is not as bleak as it was when I first set foot into the world of IT and computing, women are still severely underrepresented.
Although there are so many amazing female role models out there, not enough women are given the opportunity to share their voice — both internally and externally, to inspire women in tech who are at earlier stages of their careers.
Can you lay your eyes on a future 'you', in your workplace?
This underrepresentation is a big problem which shouldn’t be underestimated.
If you can’t lay your eyes on a person like ‘you’ a few rungs up, and ideally talk to them about being a woman in tech, then your path forward can seem inherently more challenging.
Equilibrium looks a long way off, but…
So it’s important for organisations and the individual decision-makers within to create spaces to bolster female talent across tech. Industry events to increase networking are a must, for example, and before the workforce stage, improving awareness at education-level of the exciting opportunities that exist for young women considering a career in tech, is vital.
Perhaps this latter sort of initiative is already underway, as we’ve seen an increase in female students taking part in technology-related degrees over the last 12 months, especially around AI and data. But we need much more of it. As currently, it’s going to take decades to actually balance out the number of men and women working across tech, if we are to achieve an equilibrium.
The bottom line is this. Women should feel welcomed into the tech industry, and when they do secure roles in the sector, they ought to be heard, valued and respected as assets who have as much power to enhance the tech landscape as their male counterparts.
Challenge 3: The Gender Seniority Gap
According to our internal research, more than seven out of 10 professionals in management, director and C-suite-level roles across the tech sector are men. Only one in four occupying these top-tier positions in tech are women.
In some sectors, the contingent of senior female techies emerged as small as just five per cent, so it really is no secret that women are underrepresented in the IT leadership jobs market. We believe it’s crucial for everyone who can, to give women in tech equal opportunity to progress their careers.
Treating everyone the same is counterintuitive
Who am I talking about? Well, the responsibility lies first and foremost with employers to think differently and acknowledge the wealth of qualities and competencies which women bring to leadership roles.
Treating everyone as though they are the same is arguably counterintuitive.
So employers should recognise and celebrate the unique qualities each individual brings to the table and how to play to these individuals’ strengths for the overall benefit of the organisation.
While it’s up to employers to support and encourage women to climb the corporate ladder, we also need to empower women to be bold, step out of their comfort zones, and assert their ambition to move into senior technology roles.
What can you do, practically and from today, to help undo past beliefs?
As men have historically dominated these senior positions in tech, many female tech professionals experience ‘imposter syndrome.’ The challenge is undoing past beliefs that have shaped the world of work as we now know it, to level-out the playing field and pave the way for more women to flourish in senior tech roles. Of course, a supportive organisational culture lays the foundation for this kind of progress to take place.
Lastly, DE&I-friendly on the outside. But on the inside too?
Nowadays, many organisations publicly emphasise their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), but internally implementing DE&I values is whole new ball game!
Organisations need to look at how to develop an authentically inclusive environment that acknowledges the unique attributes of their workers — ranging from helpdesk staff to external contractors specialising in AI — and then the onus is on organisations’ decision-makers to foster the development of female tech talent through the DE&I lens.
Finally, the future for WIT needs to look like this...
It’s crucial to address the challenges women in tech face for a whole host of reasons. We need to break down barriers and create a future where women don’t feel judged or out of place pursuing a job in tech; where they trust in their abilities and can access opportunities to progress to the next level and where they look around their workplace and see other women in tech thriving.
Amanda Whicher
Amanda Whicher is a director at Hays UK&I, specialising in public services technology. With over 17 years of experience in the recruitment sector, Amanda has a wealth of insights on the challenges employers face accessing and retaining talent. She has a particular interest in encouraging more women into tech, to expand their career opportunities and create more diverse and inclusive tech teams.
Amanda is passionate about matching the top technology experts to organisations, through life-long partnerships and workplace solutions, to support both clients and candidates to meet their ambitions and thrive in the ever-changing world of tech.
