Gender biases and inequality in the tech industry has been a hot topic of conversation for a long time. In recent years however, several studies have shown that gender representation has improved at every level in the corporate pipeline. While a decade ago, women were 23-24% of the employees in the Indian IT sector; now it’s 34% of the 4.5 million employee base. That’s a phenomenal jump, as Sangeeta Gupta, VP & chief strategy officer at Nasscom, says, the current figure is much higher than in most countries’ tech industries, including the US, thanks to more girls (and their families) prioritizing science stream and also the tech industry’s effort to raise the number of girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The problem however is, many women drop out mid-career, for a variety of family reasons, and do not return, making the percentage of women in senior management in tech reasonably low, as is evident from studies that women still occupy less than a quarter of current C-suite positions.
Women in tech, still not well represented
Navneet Gupta, Founder & CEO of YPay believes, “Women are still not very well represented in tech leadership, despite making up 42% of STEM degree holders in India. Evidence shows many women opt-out of pursuing careers in tech due to a couple of major factors, primarily as technology being a male-dominated field lead to not many women role models and the dual burden of work and domestic life on women.”
Dattatri Radhakrishna, VP of Engineering, Whatfix agrees that women are likely to face ‘dual role’ syndrome, wherein professional decisions are largely affected by their domestic responsibilities. She says, “This paucity is not merely due to skill inadequacy, but also is a result of assigned stereotypical gender roles.”
According to Global Gender Gap Report 2021, by World Economic Forum, the effects of COVID-19 have delayed their career progression due to family or home pressures. The social and economic impacts of gender inequality in tech are so far-reaching and there are a few implicit biases of the people who push women behind. As Hwa Choo Lim, VP-HR APAC, Equinix believes, one of the causes is the lack of hygienic amenities especially in schools and colleges in remote areas. This becomes a deterrent for adolescent girls who then fall out of education system in Asian countries, including India. Continue reading: https://www.cxotoday.com/news-analysis/women-in-tech-creating-a-path-to-a-better-future/
Women in tech, still not well represented
Navneet Gupta, Founder & CEO of YPay believes, “Women are still not very well represented in tech leadership, despite making up 42% of STEM degree holders in India. Evidence shows many women opt-out of pursuing careers in tech due to a couple of major factors, primarily as technology being a male-dominated field lead to not many women role models and the dual burden of work and domestic life on women.”
Dattatri Radhakrishna, VP of Engineering, Whatfix agrees that women are likely to face ‘dual role’ syndrome, wherein professional decisions are largely affected by their domestic responsibilities. She says, “This paucity is not merely due to skill inadequacy, but also is a result of assigned stereotypical gender roles.”
According to Global Gender Gap Report 2021, by World Economic Forum, the effects of COVID-19 have delayed their career progression due to family or home pressures. The social and economic impacts of gender inequality in tech are so far-reaching and there are a few implicit biases of the people who push women behind. As Hwa Choo Lim, VP-HR APAC, Equinix believes, one of the causes is the lack of hygienic amenities especially in schools and colleges in remote areas. This becomes a deterrent for adolescent girls who then fall out of education system in Asian countries, including India. Continue reading: https://www.cxotoday.com/news-analysis/women-in-tech-creating-a-path-to-a-better-future/
