Exploring the Gender Gap in Tech Companies: Why Aren’t There More Women?

 

B. VanDeventer | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Social Informatics | INSC 542

This blog post features my thoughts on women in tech companies and why more women are choosing to leave their tech companies to own their own companies, inspired by the article written by Haroon Chaudhry, Alison E. Wall and Jerry L. Wall. 

The article summarizes the need for there to be no gender gap in upper management or organizations as a whole to combat the diversity issue in tech companies. Teaching and including women on STEM subjects from a young age is the first step to encouraging women to pursue technical careers. 

A lack of women in the tech industry, or STEM fields, in general, is typically seen as a result of the lack of education, ability, or willingness of women to do “hard” subjects. However, this isn’t the case at all. Research shows that women typically score higher than men on standardized tests. When asked why they leave, it is usually due to discrimination, being overlooked for job promotions, or a toxic work environment. And while women bring a fresh new perspective to the tech industry, they have to bring their talents elsewhere because there is too much bias towards men and their ideas. 

The key to keeping women in these tech jobs is to create a more diverse culture that allows men and women to have a voice (Accenture, 2020). More women are leaving the tech industry than ever before. According to the report by Accenture, 50% of women who take a tech role leave it by age 35, compared to 20% of other types of jobs. The percentage of women in tech has dropped from 35% in 1984 to 32% in 2018. A way to combat the lack of diversity in the workplace is to create an environment where women feel they have a voice and their opinion matters. Another way is to make sure at least one woman is in the pool for a management-level position and increasing flexibility, which allows people to work in a way that fits their lives (Maynard, 2021). The tech industry needs to create these opportunities for women, so that women feel empowered and heard at work and don’t take their talent elsewhere. 

While many women feel they need to leave the tech industry, some feel that it is their opportunity to change the tech industry by staying. When women change their approach in situations at work to be more like the men around them, they change their situation. For example, when going through an annual review. Women normally don’t ask for a raise because they think if they deserve it, it will be given to them. Meanwhile, men go into their annual review prepared to ask for a raise because of their hard work (Schleifer, 2018). Marion Schleifer talks to women at a TEDx Talk about how they can change their own situations without having to leave. By doing this, women will pave the way for change for other generations of women. 

As culture begins to shift, women have an opportunity in the tech industry to either leave it or change it. Tech companies need to do the work to support women and make it possible for women to stay. The unconscious bias needs to change and the gender gap needs to be discussed. Women have so much to offer when it comes to technology. They bring a new perspective that opens opportunities to create a better product. For instance, when they created the car airbag. It was only tested on men because those were the only ones working on that project, but as soon as they brought a woman on board to test it, they saw that the airbag was too tall for women and would not work. While the tech industry needs to do work in creating a more inclusive environment, women also need to do some work. We need to learn to stand up for ourselves and not let men take control because it’s easier. We need to learn to ask for that higher salary, go for that management role, and take credit for our own successes. The way we present ourselves makes a huge difference in whether those around us trust that we are capable of the role or not. It is up to us to stay in the tech field and make the difference from the inside. 

References

Chaudhry, H., Wall, A., Wall, J. (2019, July). Exploring the Gender Gap in Tech Companies: Why Aren't There More Women? Retrieved June 25, 2022.

Maynard, P. (2021, March 2). Council post: Are we really closing the gender gap in Tech? Forbes. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/03/03/are-we-really-closing-the-gender-gap-in-tech/?sh=21701c755d71 

Resetting tech culture | Accenture. Resetting Tech Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-134/Accenture-A4-GWC-Report-Final1.pdf 

TEDxTalks. (2018). “The Blessings And Curses Of Being A Woman In Tech” | TEDxMountainViewHighSchool. YouTube. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UN2iKneBE8.