by Antara Rao
In this new era, where our world is pulled together by the strings of technology and when we are engulfed in apps, websites and programs for almost everything that we do, it is evident that technology plays the most vital role in society and will do so for centuries to come. We rely on this blessing… and curse for professional and social interactions, particularly recently amidst the pandemic, for our education and knowledge about the challenging times that our planet endures, for medical and clinical reasons, for the new age of currency that society is fiddling with, for help in cultivating our political and moral belief systems and of course, for some down time. Technology is the way to go and there is no escaping this reality. There are endless debates circulating the ethics, cost and logistics of this new rise in technology however, most seem to turn a blind eye to the more pressing problem at hand. There are not enough women in technology. Not enough women leaders. Nor are there enough opportunities to inspire girls into pursuing careers in technology.
Global consulting firm, PwC found that less than 3% of women had technology as their first career choice and only 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector were held by women. Additionally, 78% of students could not name a single famous female working in technology. Think about it. Can you? When I read this fact, I could not seem to scratch my brain enough to find a name. These disappointing statistics only reiterate the fact that we need to change. Perhaps people are still in awe of the path breaking changes this industry has achieved and so are not aware of its sheer lack of diversity. Perhaps there are too few role models for girls to aspire to than there are in the film or music industry. Perhaps also, the constantly evolving and exhilarating world of technology is downplayed in classrooms and lecture halls. Either way, the technology sector could greatly benefit with more women making executive decisions and here are the reasons why.
Firstly, in general, there is a growing need for jobs in the technology sector. An estimated 600,000 job vacancies cost the UK £63 billion per year, according to a report by the Edge Foundation. This proves our lack of skills and knowledge, which can only be solved at the starting point – education. There are a few scholarships available to women aspiring to take up STEM at UK Universities, but we need much more to close in the gap. Secondly, studies have been conducted which show that diversity generates revenue. One that was conducted by the Boston Consulting Firm showed that companies with the greatest gender diversity (those in which 8 out of every 20 managers were female) generated about 34% of their revenues from innovative products and services in the most recent three-year period. And this superior performance can be attributed to the greater breadth of skills and experience that women have within an organisation, which leads to better decision making. Thirdly, when one gender is emphasized more in an industry, there is a tremendous imbalance meaning that when it comes to fighting issues that particularly affect women (or men), these issues are normally ignored. For example, women in tech will be able to tackle issues like artificial intelligence bias against females far more effectively than men so it is vital that companies have the women to fight problems like these. Finally, men and women think differently and bring unique ideas to the table. By involving women into the conversation, it leads to better problem-solving, cooperation and handling of alternative viewpoints. Women can take their own distinctive set of experiences and perspectives and implement them into their work, reflecting an accurate representation of society. By having a team which is an exciting mix of different genders, ethnicities and backgrounds, you get the best of everything and can learn about every sort of viewpoint.
I hope that in 10 years, girls will be able to name women in technology far quicker than we can now. But how can we achieve this? How can we close this gender leadership gap as we undergo this massive shift in necessities? We can encourage girls to pursue technology by increasing awareness and empowering and educating them with the skills needed for our future careers. With interesting and diverse curriculums in Computer Science which are rightfully being more introduced in schools in London, we can change the narrative and stereotype. With inspiring role models paired with the promotion of gender inclusion in the workplace by mainstream companies, more women will be empowered with confidence and security to contribute to this massive industry that seems to be taking over our world. I think we can all agree that we need more women empowered to take on leadership positions, more men willing to participate in household work and support women and companies who embrace a diverse workplace. We live in an incredibly global, connected world, linked by the three bars that show up at the top of our mobile phones so we must strive to have the boardrooms too that decide this path of ours consist of an accurate, diverse and unique blend of people.
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