Women in Tech - Redefining India's Digital Narrative
The tech industry is witnessing a remarkable transformation, with women emerging as key players in driving innovation and shaping the future. Their diverse perspectives and unwavering resilience are breaking down barriers and challenging traditional norms. In a recent webinar, our panellists from various domains of tech sectors shared fascinating insights and spoke about some of the challenges and how the times have evolved, here are some of the points that were discussed:
Underrepresentation of women?
Jijy Oommen, Chief Technology Officer, Aavas Financiers Limited speaking about her career journey that started nearly 25 years ago, said that there were very few women in the tech space—hardly any at all. She mentioned when attending networking and leadership forums back then, it was rare to see women represented. However, she believes that the landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Today, we have a multitude of career options available, from software engineering and analytics to AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. This diversification has opened doors for women in tech. Additionally, more women are pursuing higher education in engineering and beyond traditional fields, contributing to this positive shift. Moreover, there is a growing focus on promoting the impact women can have in technology and advocating for diversity and inclusion across all sectors.
Karishma Mahanti, Director HR, Pretium, offered her insights on stereotypes that exist in the tech sector. She spoke about how through her career journey she has witnessed more and more women entering non-traditional roles. She also has noticed the shift in leadership attitudes that have been equally noteworthy. Leaders are increasingly embracing not just gender diversity but also diverse perspectives within their teams. This shift has proven beneficial, leading to improved results, higher productivity, and enhanced innovation. She added that while in the past when hiring managers were hesitant to consider female candidates, there have been positive changes, such as the creation of roles specifically aimed at increasing gender diversity.?
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According to our recent report titled “Women at the heart of India’s digital evolution”, India boasts the highest global participation of women in STEM, with a rate of 43%, showcasing the government's dedicated efforts toward women's empowerment. However, the overall workforce participation ratio drops, prominently to almost about 50%.?
Nishigandha Sandbhor, Director - People Partner at FIS, addressed this topic and added her inputs where she stated that the socio-cultural environment and the ecosystem plays a crucial role in influencing this scenario around gender roles. Historically, technology has been seen as a male-dominated field, with support often limited to merely getting women educated but stopping short of truly integrating them into the workforce. Adding an interesting quote on diversity and inclusion “Diversity is being invited to a party, while inclusion is being asked to dance.”, she highlighted that while we’ve made progress in encouraging women to enter technology fields, we must ensure that women are genuinely welcomed into the workforce. The significant drop-off in women transitioning from STEM education to the workforce? is often exacerbated by conflicting career and personal milestones. Therefore, to drive real change, we need to address these issues collectively.
As we move forward, we expect improvements, but currently, there are limited leadership roles held by women. This scarcity affects mentorship opportunities for the next generation entering the field. Networking also poses a significant challenge. While there are more networking opportunities at entry levels, as women progress in their careers, their priorities often shift due to personal and family commitments.
In our latest report titled “Women at the heart of India’s digital evolution”, it states that the projected average annual increase over the next 5 years is 5.5% and it completely relies on concerted collaboration across companies, policymakers, and the government. This figure is expected to rise further this year due to enhanced women-centric programs, policies promoting the involvement of skilled women in tech, and inclusive maternity and childcare support. Additionally, the impressive 28% increase in women enrolling in higher education over the past decade highlights a promising trend for women-led academic and skills development programs, encouraging more women to re-enter the workforce.
Young women today are demonstrating agility and strength, and this momentum must continue. Balancing work and life becomes increasingly challenging, especially as women take on more family responsibilities, which can create stress. Therefore, we need robust and evolved ecosystem support from both the workplace and society at large for a meaningful transformation to occur. Thankfully, the future looks bright and promising for women to dominate the tech space and emerge as empowered coder queens!