Yes, You ARE a Woman in Tech

Tell someone you are a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant or a long list of other professions, they instantly know what you do. It does not matter if you are a medical researcher or a pediatrician; a civil lawyer or a criminal prosecutor; further distinction does not necessarily need to be made when you discuss a career in most professions.

So why, when a woman says she works in tech, is the only default perception that she is a programmer or developer or software engineer?

There is a depth and breadth to being a “woman in tech” that ranges from being a software developer to a digital marketing consultant to an investor who specializes in investing in technology companies.

• If you work for a tech, hardware or software company, whether you are the CMO, HR manager, salesperson, UX specialist, designer or a programmer, you ARE a woman in tech
• If your chosen career would not exist without technology, for example a digital marketing or social media consultant, you ARE a woman in tech
• If the work you do requires you to have an thorough understanding and knowledge of technology to adequately perform your job — you are probably a woman in tech

Everyone is aware of the gender disparity in technology. There are approximately 6.5 million people working in tech in the United States. Only 26% or 1.69 million, of those jobs are held by women. Multiple factors have contributed to that imbalance. Just one factor that stops women from entering, and staying in, technology is the perception of what being “a woman in tech” means. The general perception that working in tech only means that you are a software developer or engineer limits the number of women who will enter or will stay in the tech industry.

Girls, young women entering the workforce and women considering a career change need to see the diversity of careers that are available in the technology industry. Learning about the different career types in tech from the women who are doing and creating these careers is one of the strongest weapons we have in the fight against the gender imbalance in technology.

But before we can narrow the gender gap, we all have to claim our place as women in tech. There are still too many women who do not self-identify as women in tech. Still too many women who downplay their role in the technology industry because they don’t write code as a profession. These women have to recognize and own their contributions to the technology industry. Then we start to change the equation by being examples for girls and women considering this industry as a career.

We, the current women in tech, whether we are more left-brained software developers or more right-brained, web content developers — or all the careers that come in between — must come together, support one another and be examples for the next generation of the tech workforce. We have to speak up, talk about our careers, build connections with one another at events like The Women in Tech Summit, or organize workshops for young girls like TechGirlz, TechShopz in a Box. These are steps that start to break down the perception that working in tech only means writing code and helps move us closer to gender balance in the tech industry.

So stand up and say it proudly — I AM A Woman in Tech — and go tell someone else about your awesome career.