This Women’s Day, let’s do more to STEM gender disparities in tech

When I was in school, one of our principal’s ex-students – a budding economist with several achievements to his credit – came by to address our class.

“What do you want to be when you grow up,” he asked each of us.

“A biochemist,” I chirped when my turn came.

“You’re sure? Not a kitchen chemist?” he teased.

The underlying assumption – that women were more suited to the kitchen than the sciences – wasn’t uncommon 50 years ago. Few girls pursued STEM in their higher studies, let alone their careers.

Fortunately, things have changed since then. The All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released in January 2023 found that 43.2% of the students who had enrolled in STEM courses in 2020-21 were women. In fact, the number of female enrolments had increased by over two lakhs since 2016-17.

Yet, the narrowing gender gap in STEM education isn’t being reflected in the workforce, particularly at the leadership level. According to Skillsoft's 2022 Women in Tech Report – India Region published in March 2022, only 7% of the 1,004 women tech professionals surveyed hold executive-level positions, while 13% hold director-level positions. Their biggest challenge, as cited by 47% of women, is a lack of equity in opportunities.

That must change. There’s plenty of evidence suggesting that organisations where women are well-represented are more profitable, productive, and innovative. In India alone, some of our most successful tech organisations are headed by women.

Yet, for every Roshni Nadar Malhotra or Debjani Ghosh, there are hundreds of other women who are undervalued or overlooked. Which is why I believe that this year’s theme for International Women’s Day – Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality – is so important. We need to be taking creative and bold steps to build more gender-balanced workforces.

That starts by implementing supportive policies and infrastructure for women. Say, when I worked in banking, we instituted a two-year sabbatical for female employees to care for their children and aged parents. It was initially met with resistance, and was even criticised for perpetuating gender stereotypes. But two years later, we found that the policy had probably saved the careers of over 600 women.

In another instance, a senior female executive needed to take time off to help her daughter who was struggling to adjust to student life in the US. Our colleague had two options: either apply for four months of leave – which was unheard of at the time – or quit. We unhesitatingly sanctioned her leave. When she returned, satisfied with her intervention, she went on to deliver some of our most sensitive projects with efficiency and exuberance.

Working women have different needs, and face different challenges than their male counterparts. They’re often expected to shoulder a disproportionate amount of child care and household responsibilities, while still performing on par with men in the workforce. While it’s absolutely essential for men to share the load, it’s just as important for companies to create a supportive working environment that makes it easier for women to balance their professional and personal lives.  

It is equally important to make gender equity a board- and executive-level priority, for real change in any organisation starts at the top. When the board and leadership team recognise and embrace the invaluable benefits of gender diversity, the rest of the organisation will follow suit.

That said, it isn’t enough for leaders to simply talk about equality. What you do is far more important. Whom you hire, whom you promote, how you pay your employees, how you invest corporate funds – all of it must reflect a commitment to gender equity.

Here are some steps that I’ve found make a difference. One, be honest and transparent about where your company stands in terms of diversity and what you hope to achieve – then, establish measures of accountability. Two, appoint more women to the board and C-suite where they will not only further the gender inclusion agenda, but also act as role models for other women. Three, evaluate recruitment and promotion processes at regular intervals to eliminate the unconscious bias, and I was surprised to find that women have it too. And finally, find ways to foster a more inclusive working culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed.  

Last but not the least, providing more learning and mentorship opportunities for women. According to the Skillsoft survey mentioned earlier, 52% of women in tech cite professional development and training opportunities as a top five incentive. Yet, only half of women say that these opportunities are currently available to them through their organisations.

Mentoring programs for women are also limited. A year before retiring from my previous company, I found that not a single woman officer from India was scheduled to be posted abroad. That’s because very few women had applied for these positions. Worried, I amended the Deputy Managing Director’s KRAs to include goals on mentoring and motivating women to take up fresh challenges. The following year, more than one third of the postings abroad were filled with women.

Learning and mentorship make a huge difference to aspiring women. We need more leaders – both men and women – who can be available on a one-to-one basis to listen to women’s concerns, share their experiences and insights, and help women advance their careers.

As an industry, we’ve come a long way on the road to gender equality, but there’s still so much more to be done. It isn’t just about ticking a box or winning brownie points. When we empower women to succeed, everyone wins. 

Arundhati Bhattacharya

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Arundhati Bhattacharya is the CEO and Chairperson of Salesforce India.