For the last several years on February 11th, the United Nations and organizations around the world have celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, recognizing the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries but also as agents of change.
As a female-founded and led technology company, we wanted to take a deeper look at the current state of women’s roles within the STEM fields and examine the struggles women in tech are facing. By doing so, we can consider what steps can be taken to encourage young girls and women to enter into this industry and help them forge a successful path in which they feel they have a secure and equitable seat at the table.
The current state of affairs
While many companies are taking steps to invest in the success of women at their firms, there is still a long way to go to ensure an equitable and inclusive workplace for female employees. Even in cases when women’s employment within the technology field held firm, the same cannot always be said for employees’ overall well-being.
A look at the numbers
According to research done by the United Nations, women’s roles within Science fields still lag behind that of their male colleagues, with women only accounting for 22% of artificial intelligence roles, 28% of engineering graduates, and just 26% of computing-related jobs.
Although the female workforce took a bit of a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 31% of female workers testifying that they personally knew someone who left the workforce to assume caregiving responsibilities, there is still growth in large tech companies globally as they maintain diversity initiatives to include more women within their organizations. However, Deloitte’s Women @ Work study found that women working in technology experienced a decrease in motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction over the last two years.
What is causing these disparities for women in the tech field? Let’s take a closer look.
Difficulties faced by women in tech
A recent 2021 Women in Tech report found that women are at a higher risk for experiencing a number of challenges that their male counterparts may not necessarily struggle with. These included:
- 57% of women are feeling more burnout within their professional roles
- 72% of women feel there is a continued pervasiveness of “bro culture”
- 72% of women feel they are being significantly outnumbered by their male counterparts
- 39% of women feel gender bias towards them
- 66% of women lack a clear path of career growth
Even with all the challenges they face within the industry, women bring a wealth of benefits to roles in tech and industries across the board.
The benefits of employing women in tech
While every employee brings their own unique skills and mindset to an organization, there are some key benefits to prioritizing diversity within your teams and ensuring your organization has a gender-balanced workforce.
Increased ROI
By increasing the number of women leaders, teams can hear different perspectives at the C-suite and management levels, giving them a more competitive edge against less diverse teams. In fact, Fortune 500 companies with at least three female leaders generate a 66% increase in ROI.
Confirming this statistic is TealBook employee, Elizabeth Porter. She says, “With diversity comes differing perspectives, which brings new skills, innovation, and productivity.”
Increased innovation
When you have employees of different genders considering a product offering or solution, women can offer an insight into a problem that has yet to be considered. Nausheen Fatma, a Machine Learning Engineer at TealBook, feels, “You have to have women on the team to understand the varied needs of that customer base. It’s not just the men who would be consuming the products; different people might have different needs, and we need to be aware of all varied dimensions.”
Boosted performance
When employees see their organizations prioritizing diversity and including more women in leadership and across the company, morale is boosted, leading to better overall performance and work ethic. TealBooker, Jillian David, echoes this sentiment: “Having more women gives much more confidence to the existing women in the field to use their voice appropriately and confidently.”
Prioritized diversity
A McKinsey study reports that women are twice as likely to support diversity and inclusion initiatives by aligning with DEI-related tasks, such as offering additional resources, prioritizing the hiring of other underrepresented groups, and offering allyship to colleagues. Simply put, by having more women in leadership positions, companies can hit diversity goals that much faster.
How to break down barriers
While women are still facing major challenges in STEM roles, the benefits women bring to their teams are undeniable. Here are four ways your organization can begin to break down barriers to make a bigger impact.
Conduct unconscious bias training
With a whopping 57% of women claiming they’d want this in their careers, bias training helps colleagues of all genders unlearn past, and potentially harmful, notions they may have been previously taught and helps employees at all levels of the company understand the impact of gender bias. It also assists in avoiding gender bias playing a role in hiring and promotion choices.
Provide mentorship opportunities
Since women historically hold fewer roles in tech companies, it can be difficult to feel fully supported by leadership. By offering mentorship opportunities — such as shadow programs and educational classes — leadership can work to increase representation within the company, avoid unconscious bias, and help women grow within the industry.
Katherine McCleery TealBookFind a mentor — either through school, work, or a formal mentorship program — who has done what you want to do. Set goals for yourself and watch how quickly you’ll smash them.
Promote more women to leadership
Not only does having more women in leadership help reap revenue-based benefits, but offering more of these roles to women fosters a sense of inclusivity and trust with other employees.
Kaitlyn Chami TealBookIt is encouraging to see women at the top of the house, whether they are founders or CEOs or VPs, in the tech world. Their leadership and mentorship will pave the way for more women and girls to join STEM programs and have a voice in tech.
Encouraging women to enter tech
There doesn’t need to be a specific timeframe in which women enter technology and science fields. Education of STEM can be taught early on, and by giving young girls the opportunity to learn these concepts, parents and educators can fuel interest in these fields and help foster a love of science and technology.
Lauren Johnson of TealBook echoes this sentiment saying, “offering programs for girls in middle school and high school and allowing a safe and non-intimidating space for girls to learn” is one of the best ways to help young women enter STEM fields.
In polling our team, TealBookers offered their own advice encouraging women to enter the technology field:
Yami Alonso-SuchockiBe bold, confident, and lean into your different perspective. It is a competitive advantage.
Working toward an inclusive workspace
There is no better time than now to consider how you can make positive changes in your organization and work toward creating an environment in which every employee feels empowered, trusted, and heard. Take these insights on women’s roles in the technology sphere and run with them — you’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll see across your workforce and bottom line.
If you finished reading this and wish you could work in an inclusive work environment that prioritizes the health, safety, growth, and success of every one of its employees, regardless of gender, take a look at the TealBook Careers page. We’re always looking to hire innovative, talented team members.
