Incubating women’s power in tech

Gender imbalance in the workforce has received ample attention since its inception, so the question here is whether companies are willing to accept the lag in uncapping the talent pool in the tech sector and are looking to close the gap.

During an interview with BBC, Apple CEO Tim Cook said there are no good reasons why women are underrepresented in the tech industry. In his critique of tech firms, he also said the sector needed more women to achieve greater heights. He further added, the technology industry will not achieve nearly what it could achieve if the workforce is not more diverse.

The essence of technology, and its effect on humanity, depends on women’s participation. It’s a great thing that technology can accomplish many things, but you don’t end up with great solutions without diverse viewpoints at the table.

The corporate world continues to struggle with gender equality, and women remain marginalised in the pipeline. We still have a gender gap in most companies despite extensive research proving that companies are more profitable with more women in the C-suite.

Moreover, 451 Research believes it is important to mention how the Indian tech sector is currently working to retain its leadership in attracting female talent. More than 30% of IT employees in India are now women, compared with stagnation or decline in women's participation in IT in many Western countries over the past 10 years.

According to a Skillsoft report, this skills shortage resulted in great challenges for women who constituted 34% of the workforce in 2021. Among the top three were lack of equity in opportunities (47%), underrepresentation by women in the tech field (46%), and harassment at work (43%).

IT services are reported as the largest industry overall, with a 21% female population, traditionally underrepresented and undervalued. Sixty-six percent of women surveyed report that men outnumber them in leadership roles in their organisation by two-to-one or more.

Therefore, building future-relevant and sustainable businesses require tapping into the female workforce.

Unlocking the challenges for women

It’s been noticed that be it accessing banking services to adopting digital transformation services, women employees have always faced more challenges than men. Challenges can be counted as follows:

Delay in career: Women frequently must postpone their careers due to unavoidable circumstances. This is especially noticeable when working mothers are forced to take time off or when the husband's family is opposed to the wife's job. As a result, they end up lacking the new skill set needed for the job, which causes them to lose confidence.

Less confident over time: Because of this lack of confidence, women frequently underperform in tasks that require their skill and experience. Many researchers also quote that, women put emphasis on themselves in performance evaluations. Even after many years of experience, women continue to underestimate themselves in comparison to their new male colleagues.

Education level: Since women are less likely to study STEM, gender bias starts at the initial level of education. Therefore, there is a significant dearth of female role models in tech, which further prevents women from joining the industry.

Technical credibility: There is a bias against their technical credibility, whether consciously or unconsciously. As compared to male employees, their technological capabilities are always questioned and viewed with suspicion.

Convincing solutions for progress

With the challenges ahead, it is obvious that the fight for terminating gender biases would be long but not impossible. Possible solutions to welcome and taper down hurdles for women in tech include:

-      Institutes must look at deploying teaching methods at the education level, which would inspire females to read about technology. To inspire students in learning tech, the institutes should also provide information about women who have contributed to shaping technology.

-      Indian organizations must spread awareness that creates the necessity to know about gender-equal models. As a result of a gender-inclusive space, women would be able to acknowledge their skills and take responsibility for their actions. As an example, simply acknowledging the suggestions given by females would also ensure equal participation of women in the tech industry.

-      Female role models should be created within tech companies who hold the key, leadership positions. This will inspire women to stay. Since 57% of women leave their tech careers within the first year, and 37% within their first two years, it clearly points to the fact that the need of the hour is retaining and promoting women employees.

Since diversity is inclusion and not a part of a one-time campaign, here are a few reasons why women can be a cutting-edge solution for the tech sector:

More revenue is generated by diversity: A study conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Technical University of Munich examined the relationship between diversity and company performance. According to the findings, companies that not only hire but also retain more women automatically gain a competitive advantage, which benefits all stakeholders.

Thinking matters: Women think differently by nature, bringing natural diversity to the table. Sometimes having a different point of view, helps the firm derive alternative anticipation and prepare better for maximized business growth.

Equal gender mentorship: Firms need more role models and what other way better than celebrating women in all sectors? By doing so, companies extend a positive indication to all females to pursue their careers and lead the business sector one day.

Considering the advantages a company can have by hiring more women in tech, many hurdles are still seen as evident for women to have a swift welcome in the workspace, some challenges highlighted could be Stereotyping, gender shaming, and lack of great balance. Whereas, other may also include the disparity of gender quality at the managerial and high level for candidates from STEM-related fields.

A report by 451 Research shows, women now make up 34% of the IT workforce in India, with a 50:50 gender parity rate in STEM graduates. However, women make up 51% of entry-level recruits, but only 25% are in management, with less than 1% in the C-suite. Hence, the Indian tech industry appears to be male-dominated due to a lack of female role models at higher levels, resulting in fewer women pursuing careers in the industry.

The bottom line

To foster a safe and equal work environment, organisations need to address all the challenges women in tech are still facing. It is imperative that tech companies are inclusive and free of bias, and HR departments reach out to employees to educate them on how to deal with these disparities. Having said that, women and their talents would not be measured through the lens of inherent prejudices. Tech companies should recognise equal participation from women and let them be role models.

While these can be the biggest drawbacks for a woman to aspire big, however, they should not be afraid to pursue their dreams because of these shortcomings, rightly so, because being a part of a profoundly connected world, companies are forced to adopt different mindsets to optimise revenues by becoming a diversified and fair workspace for everyone.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)