Women in Tech’s ‘Boy’s Club’: How Women Can Thrive in an Inclusive Technology Ecosystem

Technology is fast becoming the requirement of any company since it must have a website, employ a digital payment system or conduct its operations with the use of computers in any way possible. The tech world has evolved to feed the needs of humans and its engagement with technology is rising with each passing day. It is no doubt that intelligent, innovative and tech-savvy women have created an indelible mark in the tech space. It was only 55 years ago that a computer scientist named Dr grace Hopper reported that women are a “naturals” in the computer programming space.

However, the tech-labour market has been struggling to keep up the pace of rebalancing gender-specific roles in terms of providing diversity and inclusion. Women are merely contributing over 35% of the Indian workforce despite a 10% increase in the participation of women in technology as per NASSCOM estimates. No matter how visibly diverse the leadership looks, the old “boys club” of the tech industry is still well in place.

The digital world of the future is poised to be free of systemic bias and it is imperative that women play an integral role in all decision-making processes. For making a considerable shift, there is a need to dismantle the age-old stereotypes that prevent women from thriving in an inclusive technology ecosystem.

Stereotypes that hinder female growth

In Indian middle-class families, engineering is believed to be a male-only field. Labelling certain jobs in the STEM industry as masculine, women are often not given a chance to create a profession. It is worrisome to note that 52% of women leave tech jobs and never come back due to higher male domination. Women are often perceived to be incompetent in taking executive and c-suite jobs. Out of 3.9 million people employed in the Indian IT-BPM industry, women account for over 1.3 million employees out of which only 25% of women are in managerial positions, and less than 1% are in the C-Suite.

There is a common perception of females exhibiting stronger family commitment which leads to employers offering them lower salaries and vague prospects for promotion. Undeniably, the percentage of females taking a time off for their family instead of prioritising their career is much higher than males. Trapped inside the negative stereotypes imbibed by the primitive schooling systems where boys studied maths and engineering, and girls learned how to dance and play musical instruments, women are still expected to possess minimal technical skills in comparison to men.

What needs to be done

McKinsey and Company in its report Why Diversity Matters indicate that gender diversity can help companies gain 15% more financial returns and help them become 11 times more innovative. As we move to a digital-first world, having more diversity and women in tech is the only way to ensure that women are viewed more positively in the tech industry. It is time to nip the evil in the bud in terms of giving STEM education equally to young boys and girls where they solve real-world problems jointly and encouraging them to celebrate each other’s success. Inclusion must begin at home and then encompass the tech industry.

It is the responsibility of CEOs and top-level executives to ensure diversity and introduce more inclusive initiatives. It is important to include women’s opinions in designing products and services not only by putting faith in market data but instead having real conversations with women and digging out solutions. Having diverse management can go a long way in defining future workspaces which can open doors for better role defining, better business decisions and growth of product lines. More targeted programs for women who want to get back to work after taking a break must be introduced across tech companies.

Looking forward

Despite a prejudicial attitude, women have continued to outperform men in coding, interpersonal, and leadership skills. The industry is becoming aware of the progress made by women in gaining senior entrepreneurial roles and taking steps towards promoting equity in tech companies. In a significant movement towards gender parity, 50% of the technology graduates in India are currently women. For India to become a paragon of workplace diversity in tech, it needs to thoroughly work in promoting gender equality across all levels. More Indian tech companies need women leaders that are capable of ending the patriarchal tech space. Women need to be there when decisions are being made.

Author: Ms Midhula Devabhaktuni, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder, Mivi