Despite progress in gender equality in today’s workplace, women still struggle to get the attention and opportunities they need in the technology space.
Though educational facilities are beginning to take steps to attract females towards STEM classes, the technology sector continues to suffer from a severe gender imbalance. While women have equal skills to their male counterparts, only 5% of the leadership positions in the tech industry are held by women.
Today, social movements are driving more positive action in the technology space, helping women to overcome the bias and the difficulties that have held them back in the past. However, there’s still work to be done.
The Top 3 Issues that Women in Tech Face
Only 17% of the people working in tech in the UK are female and, some of the most common problems include:
1. Recruitment Bias
Some hiring managers still struggle to overcome unconscious feelings of bias towards women in tech. If a previous CRM employee was a 40-year-old male, certain managers might search for a similar person to fill the gap that he left. Though inequality is being addressed in the modern workforce, statistics indicate that women working in IT see higher levels of gender inequality than most.
2. Fear of Not Fitting In
Company culture is a common selling point for today’s tech candidates. Everyone wants to work in an environment where they know they’re going to feel comfortable. Unfortunately, women in male-dominated fields like technology can find it difficult to feel “included” as part of the team. Sometimes, this is a result of poor cultural practices in the workforce. IT businesses need to find a way to make all of their team members feel included, regardless of their gender.
3. Lack of Support
Many female IT employees don’t feel as though they have the full support of their managers and coworkers. Long-held attitudes about women in technology can make it difficult for some women to feel respected at work. Today’s employers need to take the needs of female employees into account when they’re diversifying their team.
What Can Companies Do to Reduce the Gender Gap?
Research reveals that, when given the opportunity, women excel in technology roles. The Kauffman Foundation found that technology organisations led by women get a 35% higher return on investment than firms led by men.
A greater focus on diversity in the workplace is helping to drive more female empowerment in the IT sector. However, it’s clear that we need to do more to encourage more inclusion for women in the tech industry, and true change requires a commitment to diversity at every stage of the hiring process.
1. Start with The Right Recruitment Strategy
Leaders searching for the right tech talent need to put diversity at the head of their strategy.
Consider all candidates when filling positions, regardless of their age, gender, background or race. Whether you’re hiring for a Salesforce position, or a CRM management role, work with your specialist recruitment company to make the position as attractive as possible to everyone.
This could mean:
- Bringing more women into the interview stage or choosing a broader selection of people to talk to.
- Using blind recruitment where gender and age are removed from CVs; a fascinating fact for you; did you know that when orchestras hold blind auditions, it increases women’s chances of advancing to the final round by 50 %?
- Using gender-neutral language in job descriptions (remove masculine words like “dominate”, “ninja”)
2. Implement the Right Leadership
A culture of diversity and equality can only stick if the leaders in your technology team embrace its implementation.
CEOs, managers, and other people that your team members look towards every day for inspiration need to show their commitment to treating people from all backgrounds with the same respect and giving them the same opportunities.
It also means that leaders must be trained to give recognition and rewards based on performance, not personal preference.
3. Make Technology More Appealing
Finally, companies from every background need to make technology roles more attractive to women. More of today’s candidates in the tech space want to feel as though their work is making a difference. Letting people know how their work in your blockchain technology will contribute to a more secure financial environment makes your position more exciting.
Other ways to make your positions more exciting for women include:
- Offering remote working or flexible scheduling options
- Providing opportunities for training and professional growth
- Mentoring women in the areas of technology they feel less comfortable with
- Offering equal pay and benefits between men and women
Thanks
Theresa
About Resource On Demand
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.