How women in tech can break the bias

Although there has been significant progress, cultural and societal norms still hurt the proportion of women in leadership roles. Less representation at the board and executive levels create unique challenges for women. This is accentuated in the tech industry, where there have historically been substantially fewer women in positions of high management. As per reports, 50% of women working in STEM fields report workplace discrimination. If the search is limited to women who work in computer jobs, that number rises to 74%. A large part of this can be ascribed to a lack of representation, particularly in computer science disciplines where men predominate. 

While some organisations today are actively addressing this imbalance, many women still struggle to overcome obstacles like unfounded worries about their technical aptitude, being overlooked for opportunities due to their gender or biases based on age, race or appearance and imposter syndrome, which prevents marginalised but knowledgeable female experts from engaging with peers. 

There are many roles in technology besides programming, such as product management, product marketing, solutions engineering and solution architecture. These positions call for a special mix of technological expertise together with prowess in teamwork, management, written and verbal communication, presentation and negotiation. With the emergence of DevOps, AIOps, DevSecOps, MLOps, and other approaches, programming itself is also becoming more social. 

Despite the fact that there are now more employment options in technology, two important reasons prevent the number of "women in tech" from increasing. The first problem is that not enough women in the pipeline are being considered for these positions. The other factor comes down to retention: Not enough women stick around with long-term aspirations of moving up the "tech ladder”, which further contributes to the lower proportion of women in the top echelons of tech businesses. 

In addition, women frequently have to decide between pursuing a job and being a "good mother." Due to antiquated societal and professional norms, women have historically been socialised to believe they cannot balance work and family. However, it is possible for women to balance a fulfilling profession with time for family and friends.  

Women frequently find themselves in a vicious loop where they lack the resources or opportunities to succeed and then lack support once they do. Being their own biggest advocate is one of the finest strategies to break the cycle.  

One of the key ways to overcome the bias in technology is that one should not ‘overthink’ on perfection. 

Women often prepare, research, and compensate excessively. They may believe that to succeed at anything, they must first have complete knowledge of it. They want to give their all to anything they undertake. Contrarily, their male counterparts would apply for a job or a promotion when they believe they have only fulfilled 60% of the qualifications. Women need to stop assuming that in order to raise their hands, they must meet 100 per cent of the criteria. If they wait until they are perfect before applying for the desired position, asking for a promotion or deciding to launch the business, they risk reaching the next level of success. 

Secondly, every woman in technology or any other field should get a mentor. With the right guidance, women have a much better opportunity to transform their careers. In order to achieve this, it's critical to deliberately look for a mentorship arrangement that suits their particular requirements. This might be an employee of the company, such as a manager they respect, a professional they run into at a networking event or even someone they've previously worked with. They can openly discuss their professional aspirations with a mentor, who can also serve as a sounding board for ideas on how to balance work and personal life. 

Besides, it is important for women to invest time in an organisation that focuses on getting more women into leadership positions and retaining the women leaders they already have. Specifically, women must look at organisations that offer a constellation of benefits to improve women’s day-to-day work experiences including, emergency childcare benefits, flexibility and mental-health support.  

Finally, women should learn to command with confidence. Women's peers will pay attention if they don't hesitate to demonstrate their skills. At first, it could seem overwhelming, but as they continue, it becomes less difficult. When there aren't many women present in the team or in the organisation, it can be scary. However, if they persevere and keep honing those skills, people will pay attention.

Priyanka Jain

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Priyanka Jain is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of uKnowva HRMS.