When graduating from University of Lincoln with a 1st class degree in Business and Marketing I never imagined I would be working for an IT company. In my early twenties computers and technology were never my passion. When studying at secondary school I never used to enjoy ICT, in fact I must admit that I found computers unattractive and learning to use a computer keyboard a waste of time. I even accepted all sorts of stereotypes about male working in the IT sector. Yes, you got me right, I said male as I thought this was a masculine type of industry and women didn’t exist in this world. Well, and almost twenty odd years later this is still the case, isn’t it? In 2019 over 80% of women still believed that there were more males than females in tech. Further to that, the quit rate in technology was more than twice as high for women (47%) than it was for men (17%).
The gender gap in the technology industry is considerable and although an increasing number of companies are showing their dedication to employing more women in their organisations, this requires time and it’s unlikely to happen overnight.
I believe that I am fortunate to be working for an IT company which was founded by a geeky woman. The organisational culture is women-open and in fact there is another female engineer that I have the pleasure to work with. When I first started at Octagon Technology as Assistant to the Managing Director my technical knowledge quite frankly was equal to zero, which from the perspective of our clients was all right at that time as I was able to talk a jargon-free language to them, in simple terms explain a complex problem and learn technology at the same time. Today I’m the General Manager at Octagon and understand more specialised material.
Unfortunately, this is not the only reason why the industry is male dominated. There are other problems associated with the lack of women within the growing tech sector:
- The recruiting process favouring men
- Job adverts being male targeted
- Perceptions
- Lack of relevant training
- Lack of flexible working hours
- Not to mention the gender pay gap
The solution is down to both education and employer. The issue with perception, lack of technical skills and knowledge should be addressed as early as during the early education years. So on the one hand, girls should be attracted from an early age but on the other hand, employers should encourage the change in gender disparity, meaning that employers are in a unique position to drive this change.
Technology is a significant part of our daily life. It is embedded in everything we do and it is fundamental to our communication with family, friends, colleagues, clients, suppliers etc. It is true to say that half of the users of today’s technology are women and therefore their input in technology development should be equally recognised.
At Octagon Technology it is a part of our business culture to recognise the input of both men and women. It is important that women have as much to say as men. I can honestly say that working at Octagon has changed my perceptions about the tech industry, as I no longer believe computers are ‘toys’ reserved for the ‘boys’.
Kamila
General Manager
Women in Tech (2019) Women in Tech Survey; Available from: https://www.womenintech.co.uk/doc/Women-in-Tech-Survey.pdf
