Building Gender Parity Into the Workforce

The tech industry, like many others, has typically been dominated by men. While the industry’s glass ceiling is gradually being chipped away, we can and must do better in breaking down bias to ensure that women can achieve greater success in technical roles.

We can all support women today by being champions shouting the loudest in their support. The modern workplace needs unbiased leadership that celebrates diversity and recognises that being inclusive not only makes for a happier and fairer workforce, it adds to the bottom line. To be an effective ally to women, leaders need the unwavering support of their whole team. Teams that celebrate the achievements of all workers drive business success and encourage more underrepresented people to consider joining the party.

Taking the First Step

Research shows that many women are not given the chance they deserve to flourish in the tech sector, and while the gender gap for women advancing to senior roles is wide across all industries, in the tech sector it is particularly pronounced. According to McKinsey’s latest report co-authored with LeanIn.Org, women across all industries and roles are promoted at a slower rate than men. In tech, only 52 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men. This disparity is severely impacting any chance of debiasing the tech sector and results in fewer women in senior roles. Also, if much of the tech we consume is built by teams managed by men, the gender bias will never be fully addressed. At Amazon, we want to develop products that meet the needs of all of our customers, and to best accomplish this, we need to more accurately reflect the rich diversity of our customers.

To reverse this trend, we need to address the biases present and actively champion more diverse teams. Teams that are more diverse also perform better. The study found a strong relationship between the diversity of leadership teams and financial performance, with gender-diverse companies 48% more likely to outperform than the least diverse companies.

While there has been an increased focus on gender equality in executive roles and boards of directors in the last few years, equitable advancement is weighing heavily on the ability of women to stay in the tech industry. Those who do stay and successfully climb the ladder eventually become role models who inspire other women. And, just as importantly, they can be a positive influence on the men around them.

Training, Mentorship, Structures

The solution to this imbalance requires leaders who are champions of women and other underrepresented groups. Training in the skillsets needed for advancement must be openly available to all. Role models and mentors should be widely celebrated as they advocate for gender parity. And companies must have policies and structures in place to ensure equal opportunities are made available to all.For example, at Amazon Web Services (AWS), we are committed to helping women globally take the often difficult first step on a tech career path and have launched several initiatives that we hope provide women with inspiration, training, and guidance.

“Inclusion and diversity are two of the key pillars of the AWS culture,” said Sandra Teh, Chief Culture Officer, APJC at AWS. “We are committed to championing women, building concrete allyship and mentor programs to support women and other underrepresented groups.”

In 2017, we launched AWS SheDares, a free online learning program that encourages women to consider a career in tech. Originally designed for women in Australia, the program is accessible globally and intended to help women who did not begin their careers working in tech to overcome perceived barriers.

“AWS is inspiring women around the world to consider joining the tech industry,” said Anna Green, Head of SMB, Asia Pacific and Japan at AWS. “By building a more inclusive culture that makes learning more accessible, AWS is nurturing a new generation of women leaders who will lead the way to a more just workforce.”

Internally, AWS also has initiatives like the Impetus program that focuses on recruiting top female talent for leadership positions, retaining high-performing women working at AWS, and supporting their career advancement. This is aligned to our Women@Amazon’s global mission to make Amazon the premier global destination for female talent across job functions.

“We are fostering a more diverse and inclusive environment, and we must all advocate for and spearhead opportunities for women,” said Shweta Jain, APAC Head of Business Development, M&E, at AWS. “By removing barriers to education, we are creating stronger and more diverse teams that serve customers better. We are investing in our education programs and driving allyship across our organization, laying the groundwork for all underrepresented workers to thrive. ”We also have AWS SheBuilds, which hosts quarterly events for women to hear from global tech leaders across the AWS business and from customers, non-governmental organizations, and government institutes. AWS SheBuilds also runs technical workshops that give women access to technical and sales training, which will accelerate their technology careers.

“The tech industry has not been a level playing field for women for too long,” said Puneet Chandok, President, AWS India and South Asia. “I am very proud of the AWS programs that help women across the subcontinent take the first step in the tech sector. AWS SheBuilds has yielded some very inspirational success stories and I look forward to seeing more women in leadership rolesI am honored and grateful to work with amazing people with diverse perspectives and I know my team is committed to nurturing and raising the leaders of tomorrow from underrepresented groups to help serve our customers better.

We have come so far in just a few decades, and I am optimistic about the near future as more companies, organizations, and governments make gender equity a priority.