According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, in 2015 women represented only 25% of the computing workforce in the US, one of the most open markets in the world; women still have a long way to go to be equally represented. What are the reasons that women are not so present in the tech scene?
Fear of failure: Women tend to think that tech areas have higher chances of failure or rejection. However, with more and more demand for tech related jobs, women are needed to play an important role in order to meet this demand, and to bring diversity and different mindsets to the widely male-dominated tech area.
Fear of absence: Women often need to be absent from work due to their maternity leave or to stay home with their children. With the current pace of tech evolutions, women returning to their positions might face a real challenge trying to catch up on the latest tools and company updates.
Feeling of isolation: In a male-dominated field as tech, women might end up working in an office where there is really few, if any, women. That can also be considered as a hindrance to deciding to work in tech.
What can be done to tackle these factors and encourage women to make a bigger percentage in the tech field?
Savings portal CupoNation has pinpointed some solutions and explains the measures it takes to encourage equal representation in tech.
Education: Fostering equal opportunities through education can be done at an internal level in a company. In CupoNation, whenever a new tool is implemented, employees are always up to date via trainings and team discussions, while a regular employee newsletter also serves as an additional input of information on new tools and skills. CupoNation is also open to cross-departmental shifts, including shifts from purely management and marketing positions to tech, providing the necessary trainings for this.
Flexible work modules: They are essential to women retention as they allow them to combine their personal and professional life. In CupoNation there are flexible hours that can be adjusted to the pace of life of the employees. For example, employees can start working at 7am and finish at 3pm in order to adjust their schedule for their kids' activities. Moreover, there are no restrictions of the number of home office days, so for the family needs, employees can use them for an extended period of time.
Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.
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