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WOMEN IN TECH MATTERS!

 Let’s face it, tech still has an issue with gender diversity. The tech sector sadly lags behind the rest of the job market when it comes to hiring women. As the percentage of employed women across all job sectors in the US has grown to 47%, the five largest tech companies on the planet (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft) only have a workforce of about 34.4% women. While controversial technologies or flashy CEOs get most of the negative airtime, it’s the lack of women in the tech industry that seems to be the largest problem looming overhead.




“[Gender inequality] should shame us all in the 21st century because it is not only unacceptable, it is stupid”- UN Chief Antonio Guterres.


WOMEN IN TECH STATISTICS: WORKPLACE TRENDS

  • 26% of computing-related jobs are held by women.
  • Just 3% of computing-related jobs are held by African-American women, 6% held by Asian women, and 2% held by Hispanic women.
  • 50% of women said they have experienced gender discrimination at work.
  • Positively, women’s earnings are outpacing those of men’s when it comes to high-skill jobs.
  • Women were 22% more likely to experience "Imposter Syndrome" in the workplace (the overwhelming feeling of being out of place compared to colleagues)

Why are many women not able to get into a managerial or technical role? One answer could be “the broken rung.” Women currently remain highly underrepresented in software engineering (14% of the total workforce) and computer science-related jobs (25% of the total workforce). In fact, women software engineer hires have only increased 2% over the last 21 years. Instead of talking about “glass ceilings,” we should acknowledge that women have a much larger barrier to being hired for technical entry-level positions. This “broken rung” in the career ladder already puts women at a disadvantage, which leads tech companies into a cycle of hiring employees of the same gender and race (mainly white males).




WOMEN IN TECH MATTERS!

There are many reasons why women matter in STEM fields. 

  • Women create big and profitable businesses in so-called “femtech,” with women controlling 60% of the finances and making 80% of the purchasing decisions.
  • Women can approach problems and solutions from varied and diverse angles.
  • Perhaps if women had a greater voice in the design in companies from the start, cyberbullying, fake news and bad “sportsmanship” on many sites could have been prevented.
  • Women and a diverse group, in general, are critical to innovation, building the best product, and growing a company. Women bring varied backgrounds, mindsets, challenges, world views, privileges, political affiliations, fashion choices, and family dynamics to the table when solving a problem.

  • Young girls need examples to emulate, while young men need to see what is possible and learn to respect the equal role women play in STEM and tech fields.

REVERSING THE TECH TIDES

Encouraging more women in tech will only serve to boost the economy in the future and bring a more varied and diverse approach to problems that any company faces. With only 25 percent of computing jobs held by women, a number that is steadily decreasing, it’s necessary to reverse this trend and start seeing upward numbers. Did you know the turnover rate is more than twice as high for females as it is for males in tech jobs? (41% vs. 17%). Fifty-six percent of women in tech leave their employers mid-career, with 24% of them taking non-technical jobs in different companies.

The truth is, the future of work is women—specifically, women in technology. Sadly, the numbers don’t reflect that yet. While women comprise more than 50 percent of the workforce in this country, women only make up about 20% of the technology sector. Powerhouse technology companies have been taking steps to hire more females. For example, Salesforce recently held an internal review of more than 17,000 employees and spent an additional $3 million on the payroll to close the gender representation and pay gap. Now, females at the company make up nearly 31% of global employees. 

The road to equality, especially in the STEM fields, isn’t an easy one—but it’s time to implement real, meaningful change for the future of women and their role in technology.






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