Women in Tech: Break the bias and become your own advocate
Image Credit: Behance
Introduction
As you may be aware, there are many companies in this field where women are underrepresented and frequently given less credit than men. This is especially true in the tech industry. International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide on March 8 annually to recognize and celebrate the social, political, economic, and cultural accomplishments of women worldwide. This year’s theme was “Break the Bias,” which refers to gender-based prejudice, stereotypes, and discriminatory behaviors that women encounter on a regular basis.
Breaking bias implies working toward a common objective and transformation in which women must be valued, appreciated, seen, and encouraged to rejoice in their accomplishments. This is why the theme is chosen with that title.
According to research, it is so clearly obvious that only one in ten women were seen cooperating as IT leaders and tech specialists in a particular region of the state. This brings a poor image of women’s potential and raises legitimate concerns about their inner strength and capacity. Meanwhile, this is not fully supported because there is great growth and improvement in the industry for women.
The phrase “women in tech” implies a woman with sophisticated tech abilities is suitable for the position, but in reality, this expertise can be acquired on the job and through proper training provided. As a result, it is a closed door rather than an open one. The typical image of a woman in technology is either a highly skilled coder or someone in an entry-level position at the bottom of the working hierarchy in a company. This bias still exists in part because men in leadership roles are accustomed to the existing state of affairs and are unaware of the problem, but the truth is that unless we push past that, nothing won’t make a change and it is continued to be this and cause more problems in the upcoming years.
Why the gap in technology for women in the industry?
Technology has many different occupations, but one of the most important is programming. Other occupations in the field include product management, product marketing, solutions engineering, and solution architecture. These positions call for a special mix of technological expertise along with prowess in teamwork, management, written and verbal communication, negotiation, and presentation. With the emergence of DevOps, DevSecOps, AIOps, MLOps, and other practices, programming itself is also becoming more crucial.
Despite the fact that there are now more career options in technology, two important factors prevent the number of “women in tech” from increasing. The first problem is that not enough women are being considered for these positions in the pipeline. The remaining factors come down to retention: Not enough women stick around with long-term aspirations of moving up the “tech ladder,” which further contributes to the lower numbers of women in the top echelons of tech companies.
Furthermore, women frequently have to decide between pursuing careers or being “good mothers.” Women have historically been socialized to believe they can’t balance work and family obligations because of these archaic societal and professional expectations. It is possible for women to balance a successful career with time for their loved ones.
It can be difficult for women to keep up with the rapidly evolving tech landscape, which necessitates obtaining certifications in cutting-edge technologies, learning new programming languages, etc., because of all the extra responsibilities they take on outside of the workplace. The training, certifications, and “tech side projects” that can advance their careers can frequently be given more attention by their male counterparts because they have more free time.
Break the Bias
Image Credit: Behance
Getting more women into leadership positions in the tech industry has come a long way, but there are still significant obstacles to overcome in terms of discrimination and stereotypes. Women are frequently accused of speaking too little or not being heard as much as their male counterparts. There is undoubtedly a lot of work to be done, and companies need to do more to ensure that women feel supported in all facets of their careers.
A company may have all the necessary policies and initiatives placed, which is a great step in the right direction, but the more difficult and important challenge is altering the culture of the workplace so that it supports the success of women. Breaking down bias should be a goal for all employees, regardless of their level, of them. The power of efficiency in the workplace is something we should all embrace, and at the same time, we should elevate women because they are equally deserving of and capable of holding boardroom positions just as men. If this is guaranteed to occur, then eventually the business and all of the employees, including women, will be able to participate in more tasks that add value than ever before, helping us to combat stereotypes in the workplace and continue to eliminate bias.
Although there has been significant progress, cultural and societal expectations still have a negative impact on the proportion of women in leadership roles.
Women face particular difficulties because there are fewer of them on executive and board levels. This is accentuated in the tech industry, where there have historically been far fewer women in positions of top management.
Many women struggle with issues like unfounded worries about their technical skills, being passed over for opportunities due to gender or biases based on race, age, and appearance, and imposter syndrome, which prevents marginalized but knowledgeable female experts from interacting with peers. Some modern organizations are actively working to address this imbalance.
Help find a mentor
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Women have a better chance to change their careers in the right direction. In order to achieve this, it’s critical to deliberately look for a mentorship arrangement that suits your particular requirements. This might be an employee of yours, such as a manager you respect, a professional you run into at a networking event, or even someone you’ve previously worked with.
You can discuss your career goals openly with a mentor, and they can serve as a sounding board for ideas on how to balance work and life.
Take an 80/20 approach
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You can ask your manager or mentor for opportunities when it comes to your career, but never forget to be your own best supporter.
Actively seek out opportunities that can advance your career over the long term. When organizing your week, keep the 80/20 rule in mind: Spend 80% of your time on the tasks at hand and 20% on side projects, hobbies, or opportunities for career advancement.
Learn how to control a space
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The key is confidence. You are a wise person. Your peers will pay attention if you don’t hesitate to demonstrate your expertise. At first, it might seem intimidating, but with practice, it becomes less difficult.
Being one of the few women in the room, in my opinion, can be intimidating. People will take notice, though, if you persevere and work to improve those skills.
Employ a business that shares your values
Spend your time working for a company that genuinely values things that you also value. It can have a huge impact on how your career develops. So it keeps you happy to work for a company whose principles coincide with yours.
The ability to serve your family and play to win together, which lends itself to giving more opportunities for women to balance work and life, is specifically the things that are most important.
Be proactive with regard to career development
Find organizations that encourage and support women in technology, whether they are inside or outside of your current workplace. Examples include nonprofit organizations like Women Who Code and Girls Who Code, which work to support and boost the number of future engineers and women in technology.
Conclusion
To all women working in technology: Stand up for yourself, and remember that stepping outside of your comfort zone with the help of supportive mentors and a company that supports your values can get you a long way.
Together, we have the ability to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive tech industry where the perspectives and abilities that women bring are valued and celebrated.
