Today is International Women’s Day, and what a year it has been for femme-tastic headlines and female empowerment. In the wake of the Weinstein scandal in Hollywood (and the #MeToo movement on social media) combined with questionable comments made about women by the leader of the Free World, we have seen armies of placard-carrying ladies across the world mobilising, and unapologetically voicing their frustrations to push the female agenda forward both socially and politically.
As a woman in the tech industry, it’s impossible to ignore that I’m in the minority. I have never let my gender hold me back: instead it has driven me to be an architect for my own success. You can read more about my journey in the world of tech here.
Proportions of women in work, or of women working where they want to be remains a concern for male-dominated industries across the world. There’s definitely work to be done in my industry to make sure that women are better-represented.
This starts with encouraging young women interested in STEM subjects to follow that passion through to university and beyond. Currently, only 28% of women achieve a computer science degree. Once they are graduates, it means fair recruitment processes that hire on merit alone. When women have joined our industry, we need to do everything we can to help them succeed (with the quit rate for women being twice as high as it is for men). We can do this by providing female mentors, ensuring equal pay for equal work, and increasing diversity awareness amongst staff to flatten gender bias and banish it from our workplaces.
Currently, only 28% of women achieve a computer science degree.
Success should not be gender-specific, and strength isn’t always about the numbers: it’s about the value of the contribution made by the individual. I’m proud to say that at Intercity Technology, I head up a predominantly female team who are bucking the trend. I hope my team’s demographic is the start of more to come across the business.
As a company, we’re also looking at ways that we can support and encourage women to consider the tech industry and level the playing field starting with our Apprenticeship Scheme that we’re launching later this year.
Success should not be gender-specific, and strength isn’t always about the numbers: it’s about the value of the contribution made by the individual.
Whilst we shouldn’t need an International Women’s Day, until women truly have access to the same opportunities for growth and success in the world of work and beyond, it remains necessary. Today’s a day to celebrate the women whose strength and resilience have made you the person you are. Here’s to strong women. May we known them, may we be them, and may we raise them.
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