Women in Technology: 6 Tips to Tackle the Gender Gap

The tech sector is known for its “bro culture,” where even the biggest tech organizations are known for their hiring practices that lean heavily toward men. Despite significant advances, gender equality in technology remains a global challenge. You’re probably aware that balancing the number of men and women on your team can provide numerous benefits, but are you facing difficulties diversifying your company? Every company is responsible for creating a culture in which everyone feels welcome, and there is no discrimination.

Did you know that the first computer program was written by a woman? Ada Lovelace was a mathematician who is universally viewed as the world’s first programmer. She created an algorithm to calculate the Bernoulli sequence of numbers for Charles Babbidge’s Analytical Engine.

Men and women in technology are not represented in equal numbers more than a century later. The underrepresentation of women in technology has many causes, but what are they? And why is gender diversity important in tech? This article will answer those questions and analyze the situation from various perspectives.

What are the reasons we need more women in technology?

Social justice, equality, and fairness are generally valued in 21st-century society. But encouraging more women to pursue technology careers goes beyond morality. As one of the most innovative and quickly expanding industries, there is a logical and financial interest in fostering additional employment opportunities for women in technology.

Let’s analyze the positives of having more women in the IT industry.

• Greater efficiency in problem-solving

  What really defines effective problem-solving? It all comes down to describing the issue, generating potential solutions, assessing them, and implementing the chosen approach. That is where the variety of ideas can be quite beneficial.

• Increased income

  According to McKinsey research, organizations with diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to have higher return values. Furthermore, according to an HBR study, the crisis’s negative effects are lessened when female executives are present. Additionally, the findings demonstrate a correlation between superior acquisition decisions and a minimum of one female director on the board.

• A large talent pool for IT

  Diversity policies aid in boosting the proportion of women in IT. The lack of qualified professionals continues to be a major challenge in the field of software engineering. According to a report by Korn Ferry, the lack of high-tech employees will cause annual revenue losses of more than $160 billion in the US alone by 2030.

Women in Technology: 6 Key Takeaways

• Address the gender gap by identifying commonalities

  Women must establish connections with both their male and female coworkers. The difficulty with partnerships is that people tend to make friends of the same gender naturally. In the tech industry, men outweigh women five to one. It is more difficult to build contacts that affect your network and collaboration if you aren’t taking advantage of these social changes.



• Improve your networking abilities

  Making new relationships opens the door to new opportunities. Numerous studies have shown that women struggle more than men to form networks and find mentors. Many women in the IT industry believe that performing well is sufficient for recognition, but this is untrue. The relationships you build and your interactions with others have the biggest impact, and women often don’t fare as well in these areas.

• Find a mentor

  Having a mentor or someone who can offer you advice and serve as a guide is a key component as well. Many women in technology aren’t focused on and aren’t sure how to make those aspects of their careers happen, but they are incredibly crucial to your success. It fosters your professional and personal development and presents opportunities that you might not have had access to without assistance.

• Take on tasks that are beyond your scope of expertise

  Women are less likely to apply for jobs that need more education and experience than they do. People fear failure or appearing ignorant because they find the unknown to be frightening. Think about your priorities and how they relate to your position when contemplating new chances. What hurdles might you face, as well as the learning opportunities? Always keep an eye out for new challenges.

• Keep refining your abilities

  We advise my employees to dedicate 10% of their time to learning new things. It might be a crucial component of their project, their research process, or something else. You will lag behind if you don’t keep expanding. As new technology and processes are introduced, you must keep up with the industry’s rapid development. Even if you don’t utilize them, knowing what tools you have at your disposal will help you weigh your options.

Set a good example

Women in technology have the chance to pave the way for other women in the workplace, empower them, and demonstrate to young girls fresh out of college that various STEM-related occupations are available to them.

The Conclusion

We’ve talked about how social norms and gender stereotypes discourage women from choosing computer careers in this article. Additionally, we discussed the benefits of having more women in IT jobs for both women and the overall global economy. We’ve concluded by offering some advice on how to tackle the gender gap in technology and rebuild the narrative of women in technology.