Women have been in the Tech industry from the time when they couldn’t even open a bank account without their husbands’ permission. Whether it be Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper or Elizabeth Feinler, women have always accomplished and soared high in the field of technology.
But, the irony is that in spite of an existing trail of accomplishments and qualifications, even after these many years, the glass ceiling still exists for Women in Tech.
The tech industry is worth £184 billion to the UK but only 19 per cent of tech staff are women*. This is something companies and the UK government are trying to solve. Interestingly, HP created a survey for women aged between 20 to 32 years of age and approximately 70% of the respondents showed interest in tech related jobs. Then why does the number not translate when we look at the diversity figures?
Raising awareness
The general perception when you think about technology jobs is writing complex code, but that is a wrong generalisation to make. There are a variety of job opportunities that the tech industry has to offer, but clearly the industry needs to do much more to raise awareness about the breadth of opportunities.
Gender makeup
The field of technology has always been perceived as a man’s world. A lot of women do not opt for a career in technology because they view it as male dominated. Having female role-models can help if not solve the problem.
Gender pay-gap
Hired did a study conducted in 2017, the analysis showed that 63 percent of the time women receive lower salary offers than men for the same job at the same company. This is not only upsetting, but can also be definitely demotivating. Time and time again, analysis shows that more diverse and equal opportunity organisations are more productive**. Organisations need to offer equal opportunities to attract the best talent and produce better outputs overall.
The importance of flexible working
As women, we wear multiple hats such as being a mother, wife, sister, main bread winner. Managing all can be a complex job. Many women leave their job after they have children. There are plenty of ways in which organisations can support and retain such women with flexible working being one great option.
It is very important for more women to join tech, as diversity advances the growth of any organisation. Diversity creates new ideas, enables creativity and brings knowledge, all of which lead to innovation. Therefore, it is critical that all organisations work towards creating an environment where everybody, regardless of their gender or any other factors, can flourish.
Keeping the above in mind, we introduce you to the award winning Women in Tech (WiT) community at TfL***. With the aim of inspiring more women in technology roles, WiT is constantly working to uplift, encourage and support the women who are in the technology field or are aspiring to be there. We invite you to join us and together we can make a difference! We would be more than happy if you would want to make a guest post in this section or collaborate for events helping us in our mission.
Please keep your suggestions coming in the comments section below. We would love to know the topics you would like us to cover and we are really keen to hear from you.
References
* https://www.information-age.com/tech-nation-2018-report-uk-tech-faster-economy-123471982/
*** Women in Tech community in TfL was voted Network of the Year at the TechWomen100 awards 2019 – https://wearetechwomen.com/techwomen100-awards-winners-2019
