How Leaders Can Support Women in IT

Improved Women Footing in IT Mandates C-Suite Intervention

The IT continuum trails other sectors in terms of women employee numbers. Still, there is ample evidence on the other side of the debate. The numbers are still grim – imbalance is stagnating and slowing down the gender equality progress achieved till now. ?

Stagnant Numbers of Women in Tech & IT: First One Step Ahead Then Two Steps Behind

Almost every top brass of IT and Tech organization acknowledges that diversity is critical to their business growth. In practicality, research reports reveal the foiled hats IT organizations are donning. The grim reality is that women employees still need to be represented in the tech world.

The Hard Truth: IT and Tech sector workplaces are still male-dominated. Most tech behemoths like Apple, Facebook, Google, or Intel have more male employees. This deficit leaves the chance of women employees becoming CTOs/ CIOs very thin.?

“According to Tech Jury, more than 75% of Facebook’s tech-related jobs are occupied by men , and only 23% of women make up these workforces.”

Why IT is Not Leading by Example?

Several big to small factors cascade challenges for women employees in IT, and they don’t seem to decimate shortly. WeAreTechWomen reports that 75% of women in tech feel a lack of support from their male counterparts. 2/3 of them believe that they are being ignored during strategic meetings. An even more concerning roadblock they encounter on the path to professional success is sexual harassment.?

IT Leaders Need to Exorcise the Demon of Women Disparity

A recent whitepaper, “Re-coding Tech: Outlining Solutions for Gender Equality in the Tech Industry has made several recommendations to improve women footing in the IT sector. The report says that leaders must embrace big-picture thinking and re-engineer organizational values and ethics for women's empowerment. It further recommends that organizations bridge the great divide by deploying hybrid work models, upskilling women employees, and creating awareness against gender disparity.?

Gender equality is not a necessity anymore; it is a mandate. Experts believe increased female labor participation in organizations can amplify world economic growth significantly. However, the vision is a long haul, and it needs to traverse through several phases. Leaders must act now and employ effective policies to avoid barriers and promote equal participation.