Women are often the unsung heroes of many businesses, but too often they are undervalued and underrepresented across the tech industry. This year’s International Women’s Day theme focused on ‘breaking the bias’, referring to the gender-based biases, stereotypes and discriminatory behaviors women encounter in their everyday lives.
Breaking the bias means working towards a world where women are valued and their success is recognized. Today, women in the UK represent only one in six tech specialists and one in ten IT leaders. These statistics are a poor reflection of female capability and potential. Although there has been recent growth in the number of women working in IT roles, overall female representation in the technology sector has halted over the last ten years. Meanwhile, Deloitte’s latest Global Women in the Boardroom shows that only just under a fifth of board seats are female. The number of women in FTSE 100 boardroom roles has increased by 39% over the last 10 years, indicating a slow rise in female presence, but concerns remain around these figures hiding an ongoing lack of diversity.
The term ‘women in tech’ is a closed, rather than open, door; it suggests a woman with complex digital skills suited for the role – when in reality, this expertise can be learned on the job. The stereotype of a woman in tech is generally a highly-skilled coder or someone at the bottom of the working hierarchy, in an entry-level role. This bias persists in part because of men in leadership positions being comfortable with the status quo and their ignorance to the issue, but the reality is that unless we push through that, nothing will change.
Continue reading: https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/the-future-of-women-in-technology-how-we-can-break-the-bias/
Breaking the bias means working towards a world where women are valued and their success is recognized. Today, women in the UK represent only one in six tech specialists and one in ten IT leaders. These statistics are a poor reflection of female capability and potential. Although there has been recent growth in the number of women working in IT roles, overall female representation in the technology sector has halted over the last ten years. Meanwhile, Deloitte’s latest Global Women in the Boardroom shows that only just under a fifth of board seats are female. The number of women in FTSE 100 boardroom roles has increased by 39% over the last 10 years, indicating a slow rise in female presence, but concerns remain around these figures hiding an ongoing lack of diversity.
The term ‘women in tech’ is a closed, rather than open, door; it suggests a woman with complex digital skills suited for the role – when in reality, this expertise can be learned on the job. The stereotype of a woman in tech is generally a highly-skilled coder or someone at the bottom of the working hierarchy, in an entry-level role. This bias persists in part because of men in leadership positions being comfortable with the status quo and their ignorance to the issue, but the reality is that unless we push through that, nothing will change.
Continue reading: https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/the-future-of-women-in-technology-how-we-can-break-the-bias/
