Where Are The Women In Tech?

Men Dominate The Tech World, But Women Have A Uniquely Valuable Skill Set That Could Change All That, Says Michelle Hattingh

- Michelle Hattingh

People in the tech industry often refer to the divide between the digital world and the ‘real world’. But more and more they are realising that the digital world is part of the real world. And just like the real world, the tech industry is largely dominated by heterosexual, cisgender white men (and its poor treatment of women is legendary). A 2018 report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated that women currently hold 19% of tech-related jobs at the top 10 global tech companies, while men hold 81%. When there are only white men in tech, we don’t know how their biases and beliefs are infiltrating our daily lives. In other words, you create what you are and if the right people aren’t creating the tech, it’s a problem for all of us.

Acknowledging this problem, UN Women (part of the UN) is driving its ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030’ initiative to promote gender equality in several industries, including tech.

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) is an independent NPO that advocates for IT professionals. Its 2017 report entitled ‘The Future Tech Workforce: Breaking Gender Barriers’ identified the five biggest challenges faced by women in the tech field: a lack of mentors, a lack of female role models within the field, unequal growth opportunities compared with men, unequal pay for the same skills, and gender bias within the workplace.

Cara Turner, CEO and Agile Coach at Project codeX, which teaches young people to code in one year, explains the hiring bias and how it makes it difficult for women to get the same opportunities as men. ‘We are more likely to judge women and underrepresented groups negatively for the same characteristics that are judged positively for men. Males are typically asked about their vision and growth path, while women are more likely to be asked about their experience to date and evidence of their ability.’