Why we need Women in Tech
Eugene Brockman
Talent Mobility & Employee Brand Specialist | Tech Talent Problem Solver | Digital innovation enthusiast for an inclusive future | Kindness Practitioner
As a "Tech Talent Manager" it is part of my duties to help caretake and make Group IT Ops within Momentum Metropolitan a destination for tech talent... that includes female tech talent.
However; if we take a view of South Africa at large the WEF and PWC state that female representation in SA is "out of kilter" with female Science Tech Engineering and Maths being under-represented 4:5 in maths and statistics & 2:5 in ICT and technology.
In our organization, we can already feel the pressure in demand for Tech talent, with a lot of our tech professionals not only being poached by local competitors, but also by global competitors offering immigration assistance, but also the chance to get work internationally whilst staying in South Africa. This trend is only bound to increase now that work-from-home has been proven to maintain or even double productivity according to CIO's and Tech Team leads with whom I have had a chat.
So girls who with STEM eduction could play a major part in filling the talent gap in South Africa. The potential of competent young women entering the job market is astounding if you look at some baseline stats:
- Github states female programmers write x4 better code; but if they hire their gender.
- Despite this feat; StackOverflow's 2020 Developer Survey estimates that only 8% of programmers are female.
- Gender-diverse business units are up to 14% more profitable according to BCG.
- Even a 10% closing of SA's STEM gender gap will create 3.2% in GDP growth and a 6.5% reduction in the number of unemployed job seekers according to Lullu Krugel, Chief Economist for PwC Africa.
- This could break a cycle of poverty where 49.6% of our country's black females are struggling to feed themselves.
All of the above showcases the value of young females taking up careers in STEM. Failing to do so will mean that a broad segment of our next generation could become economically excluded as part of the "global useless class". A term coined by Yuval Harari writer of bestsellers Homo Deus & Sapiens
Lastly and perhaps most selfishly; as an openly gay guy; empowering Women in Tech creates tech environments that are more inclusive, protected and representative. StackOverflow's 2020 Developer Survey shows that only 8.9% of coders to be LGBTQ; which could also prove to be a baseline in broader tech communities.
So I encourage girls, young women and even existing female professionals to apply Ms. Universe; Zozibinzi Tunzi's words and "take up space" in tech. We need you.
Managing Partner | Directeur Général | Antal International | [email protected] | EMEA
4 年This is a real great write up Eugene. Thank you for sharing. These 2 points I highlight, because of the direct impact it would have on our country as a whole! "Even a 10% closing of SA's STEM gender gap will create 3.2% in GDP growth and a 6.5% reduction in the number of unemployed job seekers according to Lullu Krugel, Chief Economist for PwC Africa." "This could break a cycle of poverty where 49.6% of our country's black females are struggling to feed themselves." Do you have any statistics on any of these talented ladies looking at relocation to other countries? Is this something we need to be concerned about?
Head: Talent Acquisition Engineering
4 年Eugene Brockman Thank you for the good article and also providing statistics around the subject . Please keep us in the loop wrt your #diversity & #inclusion initiatives.
Transformational leader with 36 years of expertise in Leadership, Corporate Communications, Event and Incentive Management, Public Relations, and Stakeholder Engagement.
4 年This is so interesting Eugene. I love the new opportunities winking at young females, specifically during these trying times. I am pleased at the prospects of "tech environments that are more inclusive, protected and representative." as we know "inclusive" in certain fields has historically been informal banter, let alone a realistic career prospect for females.