Cultivating Women’s Resilience in the Tech Sector

Last week, I was very honored to be part of the conversation on resilience at the Harvard Women in Power Conference WE RISE 2021. While we all strive to succeed in our first attempt, there are times when we face setbacks. In a fast-paced industry like the technology sector, resilience is critical in adapting to challenges, overcoming obstacles and moving forward with perseverance – particularly for women.

It is no secret that women are held to different standards than men, especially in the tech industry. While female students' achievements in mathematics and science are on par with their male peers, women only make up 28% of the STEM workforce in the U.S. This is compounded by the fact that there is a strong bias that men are more skilled than women in STEM fields, which is an outdated social structure that we must proactively work to dismantle.

Underrepresentation and biases are issues that women have to deal with on top of the everyday workplace challenges that their male colleagues face. As a result, the emerging jobs of the future economy are the areas with the largest gender gaps: In cloud computing, just 12% of professionals are women. Similarly, in engineering and data and AI, women make up just 15% and 26% of the workforce, respectively. These trends are discouraging, especially when the tech sector is in need of brilliant minds and diverse backgrounds. Consequently, women tend to learn early on how crucial resilience is – not only for their professional growth, but also their personal well-being.

In my career, I have faced situations that have brought me down, but the way I’ve picked myself up is going for a long run. I would push myself physically as much as possible. When I was in school, from elementary school to college, PE was always my weakest point. I was usually the last or second to last in the class when we ran the 800-meter race, but I kept challenging myself and now I run 10 kilometers easily every day. When I am able to push through my perceived physical limits, I am able to gain a renewed sense of confidence that I can overcome work-related difficulties or challenges.

Building confidence is an important part of cultivating resilience. Women, in general, are less confident than men, according to a Cornell University study which found that women frequently underestimate their abilities and performance . Oftentimes when we are in a male-dominated environment, we get intimidated by the vocal men around us. To this, I say always lean in and speak up. Women are just as smart and hardworking as men, and our opinions are just as valuable. Education also fuels the confidence we need to be resilient. In an age where technology moves so fast, it is critical for women to continue to learn and be ahead of the development of new technologies. Staying ahead will better position women to navigate and lead in today’s constantly evolving world.

Additionally, building a successful career in STEM is not just about mastering advanced calculus or robotics, it’s also about fostering meaningful relationships that can open doors down the road. From office hours to school clubs, there are networking opportunities everywhere. For women starting out in STEM, seeking out those opportunities is key to setting up the building blocks for success.

While the industry is slowly making progress, the reality is that every woman in STEM is a minority in the field. Being a minority in such a rapidly evolving industry can be challenging, but women can provide incredible value by sharing their unique perspectives to present innovative solutions. There are countless ways to solve one problem – thinking outside the box is exactly what this industry needs.