5 ways to improve gender diversity and equality in the tech industry

Mentor Young Women

Women may have a foot on the ladder, but how do they scale the ladder? Females need senior mentors within the industry, mentors who have experienced career highs and lows and are equipped to give advice on breaking down walls and stereotypes. Having someone there to show you the ropes will impact your future within the company. Where women are unrepresented, senior women are more important than ever to not only empower but inspire the younger women. There are support groups in existence such as: Women In Tech, Women In DevOps and Lean In. These groups allow women to network, seek support and avail from guidance.  

Educate schools

Technology careers need to be brought to schools to inform students of the endless opportunities that exist; there is a need to promote technology as a career platform. The gender gap in STEM topics often is developed, from a young age, an emphasis needs to be placed upon diversity if technology is going to become a career goal in the future for women.
“The gender disparity in tech is a manifestation of complex societal factors that discourage young girls from pursuing careers in certain industries that are arbitrarily ‘masculine’,” says Jada Balster, VP marketing at Workfront.

Seek maternity leave and childcare

To encourage more women to enter technology, it is necessary to facilitate women who will need maternity leave and childcare, the allowance of flexibility is paramount to progress this movement.  As women who are entering the technology world, make a difference, speak up and don’t be afraid to ask for increased flexibility. Industries are changing constantly: Be the voice for the women by speaking up and inspiring change. Which employers are great for maternity? Barclays and Vodafone.

Awareness of multitude of technology roles

Increase awareness of sales and marketing positions as well as design and data within the technological career realm.  Many individuals still believe that technology is overrun by engineering positions – this is not the case. There are many roles that have a variety of purposes in the technology sphere. For women in technology; promote this, so that women are aware of the diversity of roles that are available. Connecting in with organisations such as Lean-In will enable you to chat with other technology professionals with diverse career backgrounds, you then can take the next step, opening your eyes to more opportunities.

Better written job descriptions

Do you feel as though job descriptions are written in a masculine way?  Research shows that often women like to match all the criteria that a job post might require. A man? According to research, they are content matching 60% of the desired criteria. Our thoughts? A job description should emphasise the opportunity to learn – that would surely attract a more diverse workforce.