Women succeeding in all tech roles, but representation remains low: Neelam Gupta, Capgemini

Twitter While technology companies must act to address the existing gender biases by promoting diversity, and offering equal opportunities at every level, women must also take equal responsibility of owning their careers, and build a strong support network of mentors, colleagues and even family members, believes Neelam Gupta, vice president, group portfolio and sustainability Centre of Excellence (CoE), India, at IT consulting firm Capgemini. In an interview, Gupta said that while underrepresentation of women in technology remains a challenge, some simple support systems from both workplace and home could help them flourish. Edited excerpts:

What are some of the biggest challenges with respect to skills gaps that women techies are facing in the post-pandemic times, especially at senior positions?

When it comes to technology, I believe women are equally skilled to fit into a requisite role. That said, the biggest challenge facing the industry is the underrepresentation of women in technology, making it difficult for other aspiring women to find role models and mentors at senior positions who can support, guide and foster the next generation of leaders.

The other barrier women often face is the access to network and opportunities essential for career development, especially to keep pace with technological advances.

And finally, there’s the perception about women’s capabilities and preferences. For example, it is surprising that even today, many people think women may not be interested in leadership roles. As a result, they often don’t become the first choice.

Which areas in technology or job roles do women techies find more challenging and why?

The tech industry is making great strides in upskilling and reskilling employees to meet the demands of the industry, irrespective of their gender. Hence, I think, women do not find any specific technology area or role to be difficult. Women are succeeding in all roles within the technology industry. However, the overall representation of women in tech and especially as they move up in their career ladder must improve drastically.

How can they overcome such challenges?

Women must take the responsibility of owning their careers and build a strong support network of mentors and colleagues. Companies must also act to address gender biases, promote diversity, and offer equal opportunities to all. Organisations particularly need to boost their women leadership programs in order to have a strong pipeline of women leaders.

As a woman tech leader what kind of challenges did you face in the industry?

As a woman with family responsibilities, we constantly need to make choices. Sometimes, these are difficult ones to make. For example, when you have to make a choice between traveling for an important client meeting and attending an important event for your child. I strongly believe you have to build your support ecosystem both in office and at home, which will enable you to make these choices easily. While I have been fortunate to get that support both at home and at the workplace, there is no silver bullet.