Taking the Lead: Driving Gender Equality in the Technology Industry

From the early days of computing, women have made significant contributions to the technology industry. However, they are often underrepresented in the field, particularly in leadership positions. Despite these challenges, many successful women in tech are working to make a difference. This article explores the history and importance of women in technology, some problems they face, and some strategies to close the gender gap.

Technology Through Time: Working Women

Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, is considered the world’s first programmer. In the 1840s, she worked closely with Charles Babbage, the inventor of the “Analytical Engine”. This invention was a complicated machine that resembled the elements of a modern computer.

Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper was a renowned computer scientist and one of the first computer programmers to work on the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator called the Harvard Mark I. Hopper’s work led to the development of the Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) in 1944, an early programming language that is still used to this day.

Three years after the initiation of the Mark 1, Hopper recorded the world’s first-ever real computer bug. It is also said that she coined the phrase: “It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission” - a testament to her deliberate and decisive nature in the face of adversity.

In the early 20th century, women were among the first programmers and made numerous significant contributions to the industry. In fact, before the 1960s, women dominated the field, but representation decreased in the subsequent decades. Though women accounted for around 30%- 50% of computer programmers during the 1960s, very few held leadership roles. In addition to this, women were paid significantly less than their male counterparts.

In the 21st century, the technology industry remains dominated by men. In most technology companies — and especially in leadership meetings at those companies — women are quite underrepresented and women of color are rare.

Here are some challenges women face today when trying to enter the industry.

Barriers at Entry?

No Equal Opportunities

With already existing gender biases that women are fighting daily, unconscious bias impedes women from enhancing their skills and experience. One of these biases is present from a young age when parents encourage girls to pursue careers in the social realm that have elements of nurturing. Young boys are allowed to explore their imaginations and delve into more technical fields as they grow older. While this trend has seen a decrease over the years, there is still a widely held notion that women are more nurturing and therefore should pursue careers that reflect.?

As women’s skills and contributions are often not recognized, they may feel less motivated to perform better. With no presentation of equal opportunities, women may decide to pivot to careers that are potentially more rewarding. ?

Double Standards

More often than not, men and women are held to different standards when it comes to performance. In her article, Christina Wood states that women are often excluded or overlooked for promotions or projects, even though their accomplishments exceed those of men who do get promoted. This situation gets worse at more senior positions and is a key reason why fewer women feature in the higher rungs of company ladders. In addition to this, studies have shown that a woman is subject to more scrutiny when she is the only woman in the room, which creates even more obstacles.

Janet Olson, Vice President of Engineering at Cadence Design Systems also experienced this during her career. She has often been one of the few women in the room as R&D for electronic design automation tends to very few women. She was one of 3 women in her graduating class from Carnegie Mellon and is currently the highest-ranking woman in the Cadence business units. Having so few women in technology leadership roles naturally makes it such that others don’t expect them in such positions so they need to prove themselves more than their male counterparts.

These barriers and others have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has allowed some women to be more flexible. However, a number of women have either quit or considered quitting because the long, rigorous work hours clash with parenting duties. Many women also take care of their elderly parents.??

While these barriers can affect women at different levels of their careers, some challenges are unique to women looking to break into leadership roles. Let’s take a closer look at these.?

The Persistence of the Glass Ceiling

Maternal Bias

Another double standard stemming from gender bias exists that severely disadvantages women from potential promotion opportunities: Maternity Bias. This is the assumption that once a woman has children, she will no longer want to work or be able to do her job. This particularly prevalent assumption can affect women even before they have children.

It is discouraging to note that women may never know that the reason they have been overlooked for a particular job or promotion is because of maternity bias.?

Overcoming this bias can sometimes feel like an intense uphill struggle. Due to rigid work schedules that are at odds with parenting, women could leave the workforce. It is important to note that women do not leave because they are unable or unwilling to do the job, but because of the workplace inflexibility and the repercussions associated with this rigidity.

The Razor’s Edge of Likeability

Leaders are expected to be assertive, make decisions, express ideas, and lead their respective teams. However, cultural norms attribute these qualities to men. A male leader in tech with these qualities is often highly rewarded and gains better leadership positions, while a woman with the same qualities often faces tough challenges from team members.

It’s a tightrope that’s nearly impossible to walk. Not being assertive as a woman won’t get you promoted, but being assertive makes you unlikeable. Both of these decrease the opportunity for promotion for women. Likeability is a barrier to getting ahead, as women who are seen as unlikable are also assumed to be incompetent.?

As Engineering Vice President, Janet Olson has also had to walk this tightrope. She understands the importance of teams and collaborative work. Working as a team requires a degree of likeability. However, it is important to be assertive in order to show leadership and move the team in the right direction. Women, in general, tend to be more scrutinized than men in these areas.?

Left Out of the In-Group?

Women can sometimes be overlooked for promotions because they are frequently left out of conversations and situations within the organization.?

On group mentality, Christina Wood reveals that “Women are often left out of group events or conspicuously ignored because they are not a member of the “in-group,” which, in IT, is often white men. Whether this is conscious or unconscious, it is a bias that makes it difficult to get promoted.”

“When a team holds offsite events at venues that are uncomfortable to women, fails to invite women to lunches or sporting events where socializing happens, or frequently has lunch with the same group of men, it makes promotion less attainable for the women they omit.” - (CIO)

Why Having More Women Works

Better Problem-Solving

Diversity leads to better problem-solving, particularly in the face of new, uncertain, and complex situations. Without diversity, a team will have limited ability to see things differently, engage in different ways, or create new options. Working with people of different genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, races, and backgrounds, in general, leads to more innovation. When we make it safe for people to reveal and deploy their different modes of thinking, we increase the problem-solving resources available to the organization.?

Increased Company Revenue

More women in corporate leadership roles lead to increased revenue. In fact, in 2020, Goldman Sachs announced it would only take a company public in the US or Western Europe if it had at least one diverse board member. In 2021 Goldman Sachs increased this requirement to two diverse board members, one of which must be a woman. That is because there is staggering data that diverse companies are better positioned for stronger financial performance.

Tap Into More Talent

Increased gender diversity at the leadership level also often means there is less discrimination throughout the organization. This means the company is more apt to win top talent, improve employee satisfaction, customer orientation, and decision making. All that leads to a virtuous cycle of increasing returns, which also enhances the ability to recruit high-caliber people.??

Diversify Your Tech-driven Innovation

By diversifying tech-driven innovation, companies can tap into what is considered the largest single economic force in the world: American women.?

Women direct 83% of all consumption in the United States, in buying power and influence. Therefore, how they decide to spend their money could greatly impact the success of some tech-driven companies, particularly as the use of technology continues to grow in homes across the world. The lack of women in tech and corporate leadership roles limits the ability to innovate effectively for that audience.??

How to Support Women in The Tech Industry????

Advocate for Women in the Workplace

Women having a voice in every meeting is one impactful way to not only support the women present in these meetings, but also other women looking to enter these rooms. Role models are also an important way to encourage women and also to show the benefits of women in these roles.

Janet has experienced the benefits of working alongside more women in her field. She had this to say: Women often bring a different approach which leads to stronger financial performance and improved governance. The most successful companies have a reasonable representation of women to help to bring in these differing skills.

Encourage women to voice their opinions and share their experiences. Another great way to support women in the tech industry is by pairing them with experienced workers so that they can share their experiences and zero in on where to uplevel their skill sets.?Having more women in tech can also lead to creative solutions as they share their experiences and figure out how to find balance.

But the onus should not only be on women to support other women. Male allies can be pivotal in helping women advance their careers in tech. Companies should reward male employees who encourage their female counterparts to take on new roles and rise to leadership.

Make Representation Mandatory

On an organizational level, enacting policies that drive inclusion is an effective way to ensure women are represented at all levels of the company. A great example of this is to ensure that a percentage of female workers are represented in management positions or enact a gender parity policy along an organization’s ladder. ?Janet Olson suggested that it is crucial to have both comprehension and methods to address unconscious bias such as education as well as performance metrics to achieve specific objectives.

Nurture and Support Diverse Talent Early On

This begins with casting a wider net when recruiting talent for organizations. Companies aiming to hire more women into their workforce could benefit from connecting with organizations that serve as incubators for diverse talent such as Andiamo or Mogul.??

Women also need long-term mentorship programs. Mentoring initiatives are effective ways to both onboard diverse talent and retain female professionals in an organization.?A strong, sustained mentorship program will enable women to share experiences and also learn from them. In many places mentorship programs are either ad-hoc or temporary. Setting up these programs, measuring their success, and updating them will ensure they are strengthened over time.

Encourage Open Dialogue About Representation

It is important to create safe spaces for women to have conversations about their challenges, the microaggressions they face, and the biases that affect them. Holding space in this manner encourages female employees to have their voices heard and for these problems to be addressed in a sustainable manner.?

In closing, there’s an opportunity to take the lead in tech and gain a competitive edge by prioritizing diversity. The leadership ranks of the tech world are still predominantly white and male. The business case for gender diversity in senior decision-making roles and executive boards is compelling. The benefits of stronger performance and value creation are well worth it.