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No one blinks once they discover your doctor is a girl. Or your lawyer. Or your accountant. But try telling them that your CTO is a “she” or your IT “guy” is not a man in any respect — you would possibly get a special response. That’s an issue, in fact. Fortunately, it’s solvable. As leaders, we might help pave the trail to a tech profession, making it less daunting for girls.
As a girl who’s been successful in navigating the rocky road to tech success, I can attest to the indisputable fact that it may possibly be done. If you may have a dream, you may do it. I just wish that ladies could realize equality within the technical fields a little bit faster. According to 1 CIO Magazine article from 2023, women make up merely 28% of the computing and math-focused employee population. Perhaps worse, about half of the ladies employees who start in tech eventually leave the tech world behind. Those aren’t great numbers, but they shouldn’t function barriers.
The fact is, technology is an incredible sector. It’s growing on a regular basis, and opportunities are opening up left and right. Who would have guessed only a decade ago that podcasting technology for brands could be so needed? Now, it is not only a “thing:” It’s a “thing” that is in high demand. That’s why I moved into the area of interest.
Women who’re obsessed with all things technology-related have so many directions to go in. However, they should get a foot within the door first. If you are in a leadership role where you might help women move into tech, I urge you to use a few of the following tips. You’ll be doing a favor not simply to talented, tech-minded women but to all of the industries that need them.
Related: 5 Ways to Make the Modern Tech Workplace More Welcoming to Women
1. Eliminate biased hiring practices
Several researchers dove into the statistics of inclusive organizations in 2021. These were businesses dedicated to diversity. Nevertheless, they still found tons of biased hiring happening. In one case, female STEM majors needed perfect GPAs to effectively compete with their male counterparts with lower GPAs.
My guess could be that those firms’ leaders had no clue they were making the candidate journey harder for girls. They probably assumed that everybody was being treated fairly. Instead of creating the identical error, work along with your human resources director and hiring managers. Figure out if unconscious bias could also be sneaking into the best way you evaluate tech applicants.
One solution to remove gender bias includes taking identifiable names and knowledge off applications. You might also need to wait to conduct face-to-face interviews until the last rounds of decision-making. Using digital, AI-fueled platforms might help, too, especially within the early stages of screening.
2. Offer female employees the possibility to laterally move to tech roles
Let’s say you may have a female worker in a non-tech department. She mentions that she’d prefer to learn more about technology and perhaps in the future hold a technical position. Is it possible to make that occur? Perhaps, should you arrange skilled development and mentorship programs inside your organization.
You cannot assume that each employee in your online business desires to stay where they’re at perpetually. Many will need to make lateral moves in some unspecified time in the future during their tenures. Why couldn’t those lateral moves be across silos and never just from one cubby to the following? I got my start in marketing. However, I steadily pivoted myself right into a more tech realm. I still have my marketing chops, in fact. I just use them in a different way as the top of a more technical startup.
You shouldn’t risk losing a very good worker simply because she’s concerned about doing something different career-wise. According to Qualtrics, the common churn rate is 10.6% across all organizations. This signifies that should you can get your turnover to single digits, you may avoid saying goodbye to superstars. At the identical time, you might give you the option to guide a female team member right into a technical position. She’ll stay along with your company, and you may increase the number of girls in tech in your staff. Everyone wins.
Related: 3 Tips for Promoting From Within
3. Switch to a female-friendly tech vendor
There’s a saying that you simply’re judged by the corporate you retain. It’s true in business in addition to personal life. When you partner with vendors who prioritize gender equality — including in places where women are historically underrepresented — you make a giant statement. Effectively, you tell the world that you will be the change you must see.
For example, for instance that you simply’re trying to choose a latest vendor for a technical service you wish. Though the vendors you are evaluating are all unique in some ways, they are not too different. Except one has obviously given women more possibilities to try their hand at technical jobs.
Is it value giving that latter company your online business? By doing so, you will show your support. You may even prove to be an encouragement for the ladies in your workplace who’ve considered tech in some unspecified time in the future. You may find the experience a gap for what McKinsey & Company calls supplier collaboration, too. That is, you and your latest vendor may give you the option to form other partnerships, like perhaps a joint tech internship for female college students.
Women who need to jump into tech should not be held back. By tackling the issue of gender inequalities within the industry now, we will all make having a tech profession easier for future generations.
Related: How Women Are Innovating and Shaping the Tech Landscape — and How Men Can Support Them
