Decades of investment in women’s leadership programs have made steady progress, yet gender equality in the technology industry remains an unsolved conundrum. This Women’s Day, let’s hear from women leaders in technology on how aspiring female professionals can build successful careers in the competitive sector while negotiating challenges like work-life balance and workplace problems.
Despite the attention paid to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in recent years, female participation in technology remains mostly unaltered. While women make up over half of the U.S. workforce, they only account for 26%Opens a new window of IT workers. Even though there’s a pool of talented women available to occupy leadership positions, the tag of “women in IT†or other titles underline the fact that gender disparity persists. The time is ripe for the status quo to be challenged so that companies can benefit from the ingenuity of a broader spectrum of creative leaders.
Here are some tips from front-line female leaders for aspiring female professionals on improving their skills and overcoming gender-based hurdles in the male-dominated technology industry.
How Are Women Faring in the IT Sector Vs. Other Industries
Heather PeytonOpens a new window , the chief product marketing director at Progress, says that women tend to join the middle management and leadership ranks at teams requiring a more collaborative work style. These departments include marketing, HR, QA, training, partner management, project management, sales, and customer service. In comparison, men continue to dominate in areas perceived as less collaborative and more focused on technical development, security, finance, and IT architecture. Men at the executive level still dominate most company leadership pages. According to CatalystOpens a new window , a global nonprofit working to build equitable workplaces, women currently hold 31 (6.2%) CEO positions at S&P 500 companies.Â
Peyton points out that when you look at tech compared to other industries like healthcare, education, and hospitality, it is clear that tech is still failing to attract female leaders. “In my personal experience, I have continued to see industries like healthcare, education, retail, real estate attract more women. Women-dominated industries seem to continue to attract more women since there are shared interests around work-life balance, promotional opportunities and out-of-work friendships.â€Â Â
See More: 6 Women in Tech on How To Close the Gender Pay Gap in the Industry
However, Limor BakalOpens a new window , the EVP of Business and Marketing Operations at CTERA, thinks women are doing reasonably well in technology. “It may be a matter of debate why there aren’t more women holding leadership positions in technology, but I think that exists in other sectors, too,†she says. Why are there not more women heading governments or countries, managing engineering, healthcare, or manufacturing companies? “I actually think that if you compare women leaders in technology to women leaders in other sectors, you would find them more in technology.â€
Susan HillOpens a new window , VP and general manager, customer engagement, IQVIA, believes that diversity is essential for any industry. That said, she also thinks that in IT specifically, varying perspectives drive innovation and ultimately build a much stronger team. “While in recent years we have seen some progress for women in tech, the IT sector has been slower than other industries to address gender disparities.
To properly address the issue, it’s critical to establish a robust pipeline for the next generation of women. This involves providing females with the same access to STEM education and ensuring that they understand the positive impact STEM and tech have on the world.
– Susan Hill, VP and general manager, customer engagement, IQVIA
Hill also elaborates on how representation matters. She thinks that companies need to prioritize appointing qualified women into leadership roles for young women to see a future for themselves in tech. Empowering women with strong female role models will attract diverse talent and demonstrate a company’s commitment to inclusivity.
How Can Women Enhance Their Skills and Compete Effectively?Â
The male/female ratio in IT remains skewed in favor of males, although Sandra LarsonOpens a new window , the senior director of threat intelligence at ZeroFox, narrates a different tale. “I have seen more of a presence of women since I started 10-15 years ago.â€
According to Larson, it is crucial to build confidence and empower women to build their subject matter expertise, and owning what they know is vital to them moving into leadership roles. “Recognizing their accomplishments is important, but constantly calling them out as women in IT only serves to highlight the fact that this gap still exists.†She highlights that no men are asked to complete surveys on male gaps in IT. Thus, recognizing them as equals and treating them equals is imperative to remove this gap.Â
In addition, I do not think there is a specific set of skills that a woman needs to master compared to males to be in leadership. In fact, I think it is more incumbent on leadership to treat their skills as equal as men’s and consider them equally capable for leadership roles.
– Sandra Larson, senior director of Threat Intelligence, ZeroFox
Olga PolishchukOpens a new window , senior director of investigations and analysis, ZeroFox, feels a level of self-doubt and lack of confidence among women in tech or STEM-related fields. “This mainly happens when they compare themselves to their male counterparts or fellow science/math classes students. We at times feel major “impostor syndrome†and tend to discount our past achievements, sometimes even attributing our successes to “luck†or other factors rather than our dedication or hard work. We have all been there.Â
“Of course, the societal misconception that anything in tech is dry, code-heavy, and typically associated with men, still persists and further contributes to the gender barrier in IT and feeds the impostor syndrome.†And in reality, it’s certainly not the case, and careers in tech are fun and dynamic. “Over the years I had a chance to meet and now work with some amazingly creative and inspiring girls and women who innovate, inspire, and excel in software development, IT, cyber security, and threat intelligence,†Polishchuk said.
She also believes the gender gap has not gone unnoticed. There are a lot of organizations in the industry and academia that encourage girls’ involvement in STEM programs and foster women in technology at all levels. These organizations help reframe the narrative and stereotypes, particularly as cyber security is becoming increasingly full of opportunities, has many focuses and angles, and offers job security. “Those looking to develop their leadership skills should seek out these various local and national organizations, find their tribe, and learn from many inspiring women leaders in IT,†she said.Â
See More: International Women’s Day: 5 Most Inspirational Women in Fintech
Weighing on the utility of training programs for women, Peyton says women have had access to leadership training programs for years now. “The problem is they haven’t been able to be in environments where there is a mainstream representation of women in leadership roles. Additionally, there may be lower priorities for training compared to their male counterparts. There are direct benefits for people who have conversations about leadership training earlier in their careers. Therefore, they have more time to recognize themselves as leaders and push for the resources needed to get to the next level.â€
“Throughout my career, I have noticed there has been a lack of training for understanding the operational side of the business. It can be a steep learning curve if there has not been proper training starting from entry-level positions once women reach leadership positions,†she adds.Â
Providing women with key insights to better understand key business metrics and including women in tough conversations about staff reductions, budgeting, ROI is critical for grooming them for leadership positions.Â
– Heather Peyton, chef product marketing director, ProgressÂ
Keys to Mastering Leadership Skills
Women have been raised in a society that favors men’s opinions over women’s, so they need to remain confident in their abilities and training others with them will hone that leadership skill set. Women have also to continue to be their advocates when they aren’t given support and encounter gender bias in the workplace. McKinsey’s reportOpens a new window of “Women in the Workplace†found women deal with gender bias and are often held to higher performance standards than men. They may be more likely to take the blame for failure—so when the stakes are high, senior-level women could face higher criticism and harsher judgment, says Peyton.
Another unfortunate barrier for women is balancing their home life with their work goals. A reportOpens a new window from the National Women’s Law Center states that since February 2020, women in the U.S. have lost more than 5.4 million net jobs and account for 55% of overall net job loss since the start of the crisis. We’ve seen the mass exodus of women leaving the workforce over the past two years to manage their young children’s distanced learning or lack of childcare amid COVID – a phenomenon that largely did not impact their male counterparts.Â
“For better representation, there needs to be more support from organizations that give women the flexibility to spend time with their families and not penalize them in the workforce for that. Rewriting gender roles at home is a conversation that many women will have to have as their careers develop,†Peyton believes.Â
The last and most important skill is learning the business side of an organization and the financial metrics that are priorities for the executive team. Being aligned with the business’s goals and understanding how women can showcase their contributions is key to success and will help break down the gender barrier in industries that are known for being boys clubs.â€Â
To be a strong leader, regardless of your gender, you must establish credibility. The level of respect an individual receives depends on this, so colleagues must view you as someone of expertise and integrity they can trust to lead them.
– Susan Hill, VP & general manager, customer engagement, IQVIA
It is critical to understand the unique perspective you bring to the table as a woman. Too often, women in tech are struck with imposter syndrome when entering the field, Hill adds. While it is a natural feeling, “be comfortable and confident†in what makes you different. Leverage these differences to become “a strong leader†committed to “empowering other women†in the field.
Adding to the popular opinion, Bakal says that women already possess all the skills they need to be successful leaders. They need to be able to work within a system that understands and believes that and allows them to deploy and implement their skills. “If the leadership of a company does not promote women or does not see women as capable or equal, it is the organization that has work to do to eliminate its gender bias and barriers.â€
Conclusion
While there are still impediments for women to undertake fundamental occupations, the aspiration of becoming a leader is still a long way off for most of them. Improved representation requires more help from groups that allow women to spend time with their children while not punishing them at work. Many women will have to have dialogues about rewriting gender norms at home as their career advances. Women can redefine their leadership responsibilities. All that is required is a push from everyone in the vicinity.
Does your organization has a gender-inclusive policy in place? Let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!
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