The technology field has been a booming industry for the past several years, and the industry has made tremendous strides in innovation. One area they have not made many strides in, however, is building a diverse workforce. Men hold over 75% of jobs in the tech industry. Women are extremely underrepresented in tech, and this presents a slew of challenges for the 25% of women that do work in the industry - yet these women are still making as much progress as possible with their small numbers.
In this episode of our Back to Work: Women at Work podcast series, our host, Joe McIntyre, and Yoh's Senior Business Development Manager, Michelle Sohl, discuss the challenges women working in the technology industry face and some ways to support them.
Listen to our Podcast Below:
The Challenges for Women in Tech
One of the biggest challenges regarding women in the tech industry is a lack of awareness. Many businesses know that women are the minority in the industry, but they do not understand how large the gap is. Challenges exist in terms of promoting the advantages of women working in the tech space. If company leaders realized how instrumental women are in this field, they would be more inclined to focus their attention on female candidates throughout the hiring process. If your tech company has had success with women employees, you should be sharing these success stories to inspire other companies to broaden their workforce population, too.
Michelle also mentions that women tend to feel like they are less than their colleagues based on some people's attitudes, tones, and perceptions toward them. It can be difficult to ignore these negative reactions, but in time, these false perceptions will fade and more women will feel like they belong in the tech field.
The Benefits of Women Working in Tech
Working in the tech industry provides benefits for both women and businesses. Businesses will benefit from the fact that women bring something different to the table in this field. They provide unique perspectives and viewpoints based on their experiences as women. They also make great leaders because they are often empathetic and have strong attention to detail. Additionally, Michelle states that profits have been proven to increase when diversity exists throughout an organization.
And for women, working in the technology space gives them access to better growth opportunities, benefits, and salaries. Women who do break the barrier and work in this industry tend to thrive once they are in it. Although we have not seen all the benefits of women in tech quite yet, we will realize them more and more as time passes and women's presence in the field continues to climb.
Making Strides in the Tech Industry
A greater number of young women have been encouraged to pursue careers in the technology field in recent years, and this has had one of the biggest impacts on their ability to make strides in the industry. As this encouragement continues, their workforce population will grow, their strides will become greater, and they will be noticed by all.
While women do continue to make strides in the tech industry, there is still work to be done. Business is about making money, so until company leaders truly understand the benefits of women working in tech, they can only advance so far. Michelle closes out by sharing her insights on the future of women in tech and how she expects their progress to continue and is excited to see the advancements to come. She also shares her expert advice for women starting their career in tech.
Listen to the full podcast here for more information.
