Technology has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors, as demand for digital initiatives has heightened due to the pandemic.
As businesses hunt for the most talented professionals in a candidate-led market, they are increasingly offering flexibility, such as remote or hybrid working, and have been forced to increase salaries in order to stand out amongst competitors.
With a more flexible approach to working on the cards, women now have even more opportunities than ever before to progress in their technology careers, just like their male counterparts. The gender disparity in the sector – which is often widened due to lack of flexibility, especially for working mothers – at long last, could be consigned to history.
But is this still the case? Lessening the gender gap in the technology sector is so much more than offering remote work, especially for the next generation of technology experts. How can technology companies can support women in a currently male-dominated industry?
The current perceptions of women in technology
In a survey conducted by Reed of more than 500 UK parents of girls aged between five and 18 years old, half (51%) said that their daughters express a keen interest in technology both at home and in education, with three quarters (76%) reportedly feeling that technology is a good career for their daughters. Only 4% stated that they felt it was too male dominated.
This is indeed reassuring that perceptions of women in technology are changing, with the next generation having more support and guidance from their parents than previous generations may have done. To compare with the above, of those already taking part in the Reed Women in Technology Mentoring Program (i.e. women already working in the technology sector), nearly three quarters were over 18 years of age before considering a career in the sector, with 80% never thinking they’d end up working in technology.
Continue reading: https://edtechnology.co.uk/comments/supporting-women-in-technology-the-challenges-and-responses/
As businesses hunt for the most talented professionals in a candidate-led market, they are increasingly offering flexibility, such as remote or hybrid working, and have been forced to increase salaries in order to stand out amongst competitors.
With a more flexible approach to working on the cards, women now have even more opportunities than ever before to progress in their technology careers, just like their male counterparts. The gender disparity in the sector – which is often widened due to lack of flexibility, especially for working mothers – at long last, could be consigned to history.
But is this still the case? Lessening the gender gap in the technology sector is so much more than offering remote work, especially for the next generation of technology experts. How can technology companies can support women in a currently male-dominated industry?
The current perceptions of women in technology
In a survey conducted by Reed of more than 500 UK parents of girls aged between five and 18 years old, half (51%) said that their daughters express a keen interest in technology both at home and in education, with three quarters (76%) reportedly feeling that technology is a good career for their daughters. Only 4% stated that they felt it was too male dominated.
This is indeed reassuring that perceptions of women in technology are changing, with the next generation having more support and guidance from their parents than previous generations may have done. To compare with the above, of those already taking part in the Reed Women in Technology Mentoring Program (i.e. women already working in the technology sector), nearly three quarters were over 18 years of age before considering a career in the sector, with 80% never thinking they’d end up working in technology.
Continue reading: https://edtechnology.co.uk/comments/supporting-women-in-technology-the-challenges-and-responses/
