Transforming Travel Through Equal Opportunities in Tech - IWTTF Day 3

For the third of a series of five (5) articles focussed on the recent International women in Travel and tourism forum, we discuss Day Three, focussed on women in tech travel. Guest panellists joined that are at the forefront of innovating and enriching tourism through solutions that are revolutionising how passengers travel and how companies manage procedures. The tech sector still has a long way to go before it provides equal opportunities; however, some disrupters are working to level the playing field.?

How Are Tech & Travel Intertwined?

There is no denying the positive effect and increased infrastructural developments across industries because of tech. The travel industry has profited immensely from tech advancements in the form of booking platforms and seamless transactions. The question is–how can tech continue to be integrated into tourism while also creating opportunities for all??

Tech Careers Do Not All Follow the Same Path

The first panel was moderated by Dr Mariana Aldrigu – the University of Sao Paulo and guest speakers Sarah Stimpfl – Student Ambassador ITT Future You at Destinate and Carolina Yamauti – Operations Manager at SPUTNiK. Both Sarah and Carolina shared how their launch into tech was unconventional and how other women can find careers in IT and tech without having a degree in the field. It is possible to fill in the gaps in knowledge after settling on a career path. IT isn't simply about creating apps or coding and as a guest speaker, Sarah put it, tech is not just about men in a basement coding.

It is no secret that most of the tech workforce consists of men. In the U.K, only?19% of tech workers?are women, and this disappointing statistic has not changed since the year 2000. It can be an intimidating field for women to step into, which is why building a support system including friends and family is imperative. In a professional capacity mentoring can provide a safe space to voice any concerns, strategise and problem solve. Leaders invested in diversity and equality should encourage and question why more women are not applying to open tech roles.?

"Women apply for jobs that they have 100% of the skills vs men at 60%. Companies should look at themselves and question what they can change. They should ask women why they are not applying to work in tech roles and assess how the gap can be bridged." Carole Yamauti?

Mixed-gender teams do exist in tech, but where there are not, it is up to companies to question why there are mostly men within the department. Within teams or meetings, it is up to leaders to monitor if women are the only ones doing administrative tasks or responsibilities that are perceived as stereotypically female. These duties should be distributed equally to avoid confirming gender biases within organisations and the tech sector.

Is Experience Being Valued Over Capabilities?

During the second panel of the day, many problems faced by the tech industry were contemplated and faced. Issues of biased recruitment are one reason that prevents women and minorities from entering into tech roles. Job specifications and the initial recruitment process need to evolve to consider other factors apart from previous experience alone. Panellist Zara Zamani – Head of disruptive technology at Metabytes raised the issue around the language used in tech job specifications being overwhelming male-oriented. As a consequence, it is not welcoming to potential female candidates. During the recruitment stages, if other factors such as skill, strengths and individual challenges are not considered, then the hiring of diverse talent is stifled.

"Smart people can learn, so you don't have to have 20 years of depth, but you do need a welcome seat at the table." Beth Taylor – Vice President, Corporate Marketing at MicroStrategy

Within organisations, retention should be a goal, but without addressing why many female employees resign midway through their careers, the problem cannot be solved. Women are more likely to hit the glass ceiling. Many either switch to a different employer or change industries altogether. Losing talent is costly and time-consuming, which is why it is beneficial for a company’s bottom line to nurture and progress diverse talent already within the organisation.?

"The first point when trying to open roles within an organisation that is looking to become more diverse is to recognise that you need that diversity within your organisation and understand the value that diverse talent will bring you." Rita Varga – Managing Director of Raizup,

When trying to attract a wider variety of people, it is vital to have diverse, pre-existing employees present at all levels of seniority.?

"To truly set up diverse talent for success, we need to focus on the culture we are landing them into." Joseph William – Founder & CEO, IncludeAI

Creating Inclusive Companies Through Organic Internal Initiatives?

The panel of ATPCO included Seth Anagnostis – Head of Retailing, Anne Kolodziej – Business Development Manager, Christine Hudson – Commercial Operations Manager, and Ulyana Uebersezig –Strategic Programs Manager. These changemakers have been driving results at their company through key initiatives.?

Some of these groups include the Lead from The Front programme and Women in Tech Protégée Programme, which pairs mentors and junior talent to foster career development for satisfied and fulfilled employees. One of the main pieces of evidence that diversity leads to results at ATPCO was that the company presented an all-female team to enter the global TravelScrum Hackathon, where they placed first in the region out of 80 teams. Creating the winning team was possible, in part, because the company already had initiates and infrastructure in place to support women in tech.

Be The One to Take the First Step?

Change often comes in the form of employees and leaders working side by side to create programs and initiatives that tackle disparity in the workplace. Inclusion cannot be achieved by relying on senior leaders. Individuals that care or resonate with a particular cause should be the ones to raise the issue within the company. Finding key internal statistics to back up the initiative or programme could assist before pitching causes to leaders. Building a foundation of support through like-minded colleagues was another step that Christine suggested.?

"You can be that voice in the company. You don't have to wait for somebody to look to start initiatives when you may already have several allies in the company that are thinking the same way–it just takes that first step for somebody to kick it off." Christine Hudson

Within the IT sector, there are many biases that women cannot fulfil particular roles because of the disproportionate number of men in tech when the truth is–there not been enough avenues for women to join the field. It can change through shifting how companies recruit for positions and how women are uplifted internally to become changemakers for future generations.

For more information on IWTTF or Women in Travel cic, please contact [email protected]