Top Three Reasons Why We Need More Women in Tech

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Gender inequality has been a major problem in the corporate world, and it is not only sickening that women are undervalued in these spaces, but also remain significantly underrepresented and twice likely not to be given a voice in the corporate environment. Despite the huge amount of research and meticulously curated data confirming that companies tends to be more profitable, reputable, and have a healthy growth relationship when they have more women in leadership positions, we still suffer a gender gap in most companies.

Do we have to repeatedly say it that diversity, inclusion, creativity, innovation, and growth are part of what women bring to the table? ITProTV understands the importance of having more women in technology. We understand that to strengthen this cause requires continuous work that must be examined, accepted, supported, and maintained.

Information technology is not only one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, it is also pivotal to the changes in civilization and the development of any nation. In fact, it is not a bluff when we say “data is the new oil” and everyone needs it.

Education is one of the major reasons women are underrepresented in the tech industry. Current researches show that there is a significantly less number of female studying in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) compared to their male counterparts. In fact, according to UNESCO’s “Cracking the code: Girls’ and women’s education in STEM,” only 35% of STEM students globally are women. Source: UNESCO

Therefore, you can see that even before a woman steps into the workforce, she is already alienated as only a few of them are getting education in fields that would provide a future-proof gateway to a career in tech.

This is unconsciously leading to a gender-bias in the talent pool from which hiring managers recruit. Within the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), just 17% of students are females in the EU. Source: EUROPA

Companies like ITProTV are doing their absolute best to improve on education within the tech space. ITProTV as an e-learning IT company is dedicated to teaching people the necessary skills and empowering them to start a career in IT.

The annual diversity reports of some of the giant tech companies in the recent years still shows that globally there are less than average – even quarter – of women in technical roles.

With this heart-wrenching underrepresentation of women in the tech industry, women feel isolated, majority of them lack female role models or mentors, they are forced to either “give in or give up” while dealing with the “male” culture plaguing work environment. All these are huge factors preventing more women from the likelihood of obtaining leadership roles.

The underrepresentation of women in tech is not a new topic, and even though there improvements, we cannot dispute that these progresses are extremely slow paced and needs a lot more attention. If left untreated, this issue may become a fundamental economic challenge to the entire world. The tech world is still male dominated and we can give you a hundred reasons why this is not nice.

However, it is crystal-clear that enhanced superior innovation and technological growth of any company can be achieved by having a diverse team where members can encourage, challenge each other, and bring new perspectives to the table. Here are top three reasons why we need more women in tech:

 

  1. Diversification

Diversity feeds creativity and innovation that generates more revenue. Heterogeneity of thought leads to better problem-solving as collaborating with individuals of different genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and race leads to increased innovation and enhanced problem-solving capacities. Diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones, especially when solving technical problems. Source: PNAS

Companies automatically gain a competitive advantage over their counterparts when they hire and manage to retain more women. A work environment of diverse people means different methods and strategies of thinking, as well as the increased capability to understand the pain points of all members of a target demographic.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics published a survey comprising of 22,000 firms globally, the researchers found that gender diversity is indeed profitable for companies. Source: PIIE

For B2C businesses, a lack of women in tech or corporate roles can lead to an inability to market effectively to that audience. As technology continues to invade the average household, this consumer base can decide where to spend their money and this greatly affects the future success of some tech-driven companies who do not consider women.

For example, Catalyst published that women in the global sense performed an estimated US$31.8 trillion in consumer spending. Source: CATALYST.

By other reports, they drive up to 80% of all consumers purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence. Source: INC

Of course, all these are testaments that increasing the gender diversity of leadership teams can lead to more diversification and improved financial performance in both developing and developed economies as it is clear everyone benefits from gender diversity.

 

  1. Change in Thought Pattern to Generate More Revenue

Men and women see things differently and present unique ideas on innovations especially those centered on women. The tech industry need more of the female gender to facilitate better problem solving ability and increase performance at business level as there is a vast market and potential in building and targeting high tech products and services to women.

In other words, in a competitive market where half of the world population is women, it is imperative to know that tech companies can not afford to overlook the importance of female contributions as women are clients, customers, decision makers, and end users.

The presence of more women in tech will help boost tech-driven innovation and designs for products that by definition more women buy, like menstruation products, ovulation tracking tools, household items, female targeted apps, as well as other products typically bought by women.

Companies with a reputation of diverse work environment such as a mix of genders with various backgrounds and ethnicities can quickly tap into this higher buying power wielded by women to generate more revenue for themselves. The latest research from Catalyst agrees that diversity has competitive advantage as companies with higher proportions of women on the Board of Directors outperform others by 53%. Source: CATALYST

 

  1. The Need for More Role Models and Mentors

Encouraging young women to pursue their interest and careers in tech is not enough; we need them to have a large pool of successful female leaders in tech whom they can choose as their role model or mentor. We need to have more women that are successful in STEM and letting them earn their seats at the big table so they can challenge and engage on the topic of gender equality.

There is always this unseen pressure when there is only one woman in the boardroom. According to a publication of the International Labour Organization, this unconscious gender bias remains a significant barrier to women’s career preventing them from advancing to leadership positions. Source: ILO

We need more accountability and public policies to ensure employers are doing the right thing. The presence of role models in leadership positions can make huge difference in the life of young women; it is more like a demonstration to others that they can succeed in that sphere too. 

Women in tech must embrace self-awareness, self-love, and embrace confidence to overcome pressure while dealing with others. Company leaders should endeavor to identify and embrace gender diversity and inclusion without compromising merit in their hiring strategies. 

In summary, we need more women in tech, especially those who deserves the opportunity to take on leadership positions. ITProTV is supporting this cause by having several courses available for those with interests in the IT world, including certification and a flexible training option that cuts across several verticals.

Our lives are globally connected and companies needs to see gender equality and diversity as a means to achieving better performance. We cannot rely on time alone to solve this issue – we need to take actions too.