Being a Woman in Tech: the Battle and the Glory

Even with the Gamergate scandal, #metoo movement, and decades of evolution, the tech industry still remains a man’s world– currently, women hold only 26.7% of tech-related jobs and the percentage of women in all tech-related careers has actually decreased over the last two years. These jarring stats reflect some significant challenges women face, from the gender pay gap to the lack of representation. 

However, there has been development in recent years to increase gender diversity in tech. Today’s networking and advocacy landscape finds a growing array of programs and organizations for girls, women, and anyone who identifies as a woman — and plenty are also open to male allies. Many companies have made concerted efforts to hire and retain more women in technical roles.To celebrate the effort and contribution of all women in tech, let’s take a look at the subject at hand.

What typical challenges do women face in the industry?

While Ada Lovelace was the first person to write code and understand that machines can also understand algorithms, female talent in the tech industry is still largely underrepresented. 

One of the biggest challenges is the gender pay gap. Women in tech are often paid less for the same work (making 0.93 cents for every dollar that men), than their male counterparts. 

Though data shows that the gap has decreased in recent years, there is still a huge ongoing discussion about the measures that should be taken to improve the situation, e.g., better financial transparency.

The recent pandemic hit women disproportionately more than men. In just September 2020, 865,000 women left their jobs, which is 4x times more than men. You can still see this in the number of women’s representation in the industry, which has decreased since the pandemic started. On the bright side, the pandemic opened new perspectives for women. According to Women in Tech research, companies are not only filling entry-level jobs with female applicants, but also hiring women for leadership positions. 

Another challenge is the lack of female representation in tech leadership positions (​​only around 5% of large company CEOs are women). Insufficient female presence can make it difficult for women to advance their careers, and can also contribute to a culture of sexism and harassment. However, the post-pandemic effect has eased the path for women. 

Why tech companies need women?

Gender diversity brings new perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table. When a tech company lacks gender diversity, it misses out on potential for innovation and creativity. It also ends up with a limited talent pool. This can limit the company's ability to compete in a rapidly changing tech landscape.

A lack of gender representation leads to a more hostile work environment, which then leads to lower employee satisfaction and retention rates. This can become costly for the company in terms of recruitment and training costs.

After all, a study from McKinsey showed that more diverse companies tend to have higher profits and long-term value. 

Is there any support for women?

The tech industry has made significant strides in recent years to support women in tech. Here are some initiatives that are designed to help women:

• Diversifying hiring initiatives. For example, a blind hiring process, including more women in the hiring process (like Airbnb), or conducting diverse hiring training for management. Data shows that the percentage of women among new hires is increasing. The growth is even more impressive among companies that provide a mandatory course for an unbiased hiring process. 

• ‍Supporting working mothers and future mothers. The tech industry tends to be one of the best in terms of paid maternity leave, with up to 52 weeks off. Flexible work arrangements remove the “mother wall” and help parents stay in the workforce, which hugely benefits everyone. Onsite childcare helps mothers save time and reduce stress.

• Diversity and inclusion training. Providing training on topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive language, and workplace culture can help create a more inclusive environment for women in tech.

• Educational opportunities. They are the key to getting more women into tech. Practicum always supports students regardless of gender. 43% of Practicum students are women.

• Mentoring programs. They help address gender bias and discrimination in the workplace, providing women with strategies for navigating these issues and advocating for themselves. Mentoring programs connect women with successful female leaders who serve as role models and inspire and guide them in their careers. 

• Education is a pathway to gender equality. Womenwhocode provides grants for educational programs for women programmers (one of them with Practicum!) and hosts educational sessions and events. 

Even though tech, for now, is not the industry with a broad representation of women, changes are being made. The tech industry is constantly evolving. This provides exciting opportunities for individuals who want to make a difference.

As more women enter the tech workforce, the industry becomes more diverse and inclusive, resulting in a broader range of ideas and perspectives. The more women come into the industry, the faster we see the change.