My experience
Since my Uni days, I have constantly found myself as part of a minority group. While studying computer science, I was only one of five girls in a 30-student group. I can’t say that the situation has changed significantly after my graduation. I have never been employed by companies where women make up 30% or more of the workforce, and I have never been managed by a woman. Over time, this became a norm for me. But should it be so?
Backed up by the stats
I truly believe men’s capabilities for logical and analytical thinking do not surpass women’s. So there should be another explanation for the fact that only 19% of all IT professional positions in 2022/2023 were taken by women. The same source provides evidence of a very slow increase in women in IT roles: only 5% since 2009.
After some research, I see several root causes for this social phenomenon.
Pipeline problem
One of the obvious reasons for a smaller number of female IT professionals is the lack of women in education related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Representation of women amongst Computer Science graduates in 2022 did not increase above 24%. The percentage is dropping by 20% after graduation: not all girls who dedicate themselves to IT education get a relevant job. The same source claims that major factors that influence this are a lack of network, contacts, and experience. But surely, the same applies to all fresh graduates, not only to girls.
Winding back
As I said, I do not believe men have a physiological advantage that helps them succeed in Computer Science. However, three boys chose to major in Computer Science, while only one girl decided to do the same. There should be factors that prevent girls from pursuing this education and profession.
Matija Kovacic and Cristina Elisa Orso’s research showed that historical and cultural factors related to gender roles influence women’s likelihood of pursuing STEM careers through contemporary psychological traits inherited from their parents. Women from more individualistic cultures, characterised by weaker ancestral kinship structures, looser family ties, and greater predisposition to critical thinking, are more likely to enter STEM fields. In contrast, cultures emphasising values such as obedience, tradition, and restraint see fewer women in STEM.
Stereotypes
Society stereotypes and bias also matter. Psychologically, it’s easier to match stereotypes than accept yourself as an outlier. Even now, working for more than 10 years in IT in different geographies, I still have an image of an IT specialist as a male in his thirties – forties. Others may have this stereotype too. After all, that’s what we have seen in films. Why does it matter? Very simple – stereotypes narrow our vision and do not allow us to explore unknown opportunities. Some familiarity with the subject is necessary to even give it a try. That’s exactly what happened with me – I had a chance to learn programming before choosing my future profession.
Maybe, if we had more female IT role models, girls would be more open to trying programming and choosing education in IT?
Why should the IT gender gap not be ignored?
After exploring the possible preconditions to the current gap between women and men in IT, I asked myself why it mattered. After all, the industry is flourishing, new projects are getting launched. Is there any need to bother about the proportion of women and men in the workforce?
I see several reasons to think about changing this status quo: economic, gender-inclusive, and holistic.
McKinsey claims that to remain competitive in technological growth and innovation, Europe must recruit and retain women for the fastest-growing tech roles in the foreseeable future. This means that more young women need to be educated as IT specialists.
Promoting women in tech can result in more successful IT products that consider women-specific needs, as women would be involved in development and decision-making. One of the brightest examples in Tech is Bumble – the first female-focused dating app launched by Whitney Wolfe Herd, which gave women agency and prioritised their safety, rather than considering only stereotypical male dimensions.
Holistic impact based on personal experience
My own experience, not yet based on any statistics, shows how women’s presence can change teamwork and corporate culture. As a young specialist at an IT company, I was the first female ever hired. I saw how the whole team was adjusting to my presence during the first several weeks: male colleagues made long pauses in the conversations where previously they launched into arguments or used harsh swear words. With time, the pauses disappeared, and overall, team members’ interactions became more peaceful and less aggressive. My presence gave them a chance to show their better sides. The team was quite inspired by this experience and continued to hire women for new opening positions. In other jobs, I saw how girls were taking team-building activities, fostering non-work-related conversations that improved employees’ bonds and loyalty to the companies. In my experience, women brought empathy to previously lad-culture-dominated workplaces, helping everyone to be heard and acknowledged.
Actions
Acknowledging the problem is the beginning of its solution.
Here are several points along the girls’ journey to and in the IT profession that can be addressed by most IT employees:
● Popularise STEM among girls and encourage STEM education. Though McKinsey claims that this approach does not have a good effort-outcome balance, I still think that the broader the funnel, the easier to get more girls involved in this profession.
● Provide good internship opportunities, mentorship & support in universities as a way to provide higher conversion from students into such in-demand professions.
● Encourage mixed and inclusive teams to dilute lad culture.
● Allow hybrid and remote work, as well as on-site childcare. This can give women the required support to remain in the IT workforce while balancing it with childcare.
Though the abovementioned sounds like an action plan for big entities such as universities, large corporations, and governments, there’s still something any IT professional can do from their side: take mentorship responsibilities, become a role model for other girls, and be loud about this problem.
