The State of Gender-Imbalance in the Tech Industry

Zain Imran
Aug 24, 2017 · 5 min read

As a student of Computer Science who his aware of his male privileges, I am deeply saddened over the sidelining of women in Computer Science industry and academia. This exclusivity starts at an early stage in a woman’s life, when she is conditioned to take more interest in socially acceptable ‘girlish’ stuff instead of encouraging her curiosity about computers and electronics. If a girl does venture into such interests by mistake, she is quickly reprimanded and reminded of her stereotypical role in society.

Sadly, this happens in almost all parts of the world. In even a progressive and innovative place like Silicon Valley, sexual harassment and misogyny are high. Huge companies like Uber have faced allegations of sexism by their female employees. All of this is creating a toxic culture in the tech world where women are unwelcomed. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that women representation in the tech world is embarrassingly low.

Even in top colleges, women are falsely assumed to be unsuitable and unqualified by their fellow peers and professors despite their many accolades that say otherwise. They are often discouraged from choosing a field like Computer Science in the first place. If they do take the plunge, their male counterparts, for no rational reason, won’t consider them good enough to include in their groups for projects and research. Even the professors would not expect too much from their female pupils, no matter how much potential they may show in class, and hence would not give them the opportunities they need to prove everyone else otherwise.

It is time that we create more inclusive spaces for women. Imagine how much would tech industry benefit from gender diversity. Bringing in the other gender would bring a new perspective on how to do things and how to envision and shape new products. Perhaps we will see a more colorful internet. Perhaps we will see another breakthrough like the one achieved by Grace Hopper when she designed the fist computer compiler. It is ironic how In 1969, the Data Processing Management Association awarded her the first Computer Science ‘Man-of-the-Year’ award. It is the same kind of irony that we need to address and address fast.

It is not just the computer industry that will benefit from the greater inclusion of women in Computer Science. In a country like Pakistan where female mobility is low and many women can not go out freely as men do due to cultural and religious norms, computer science may well be the gateway for them to interact with people and learn more about the world. Women are around 50 percent of the population in Pakistan and most educated and adult females are not contributing to the economy in any way. What better way would be for them than utilizing their time learning new skills and using them to earn money on the side. This approach will not only empower these women but will also provide a huge boost to the economy, one that a developing country like Pakistan desperately needs right now. I am in no favor of women staying at home, but if technology can economically empower them, it could very well be a stepping stone for greater women empowerment.

So, what can be done?

People believe that only when they are holding an office of power can they bring real change into the lives of individuals or influence things around them. However, I believe everyone has the potential to make a difference around them only if they care enough.

It is important to note that change can not happen with a single person; we all have to step up and take responsibility. If we want a higher women participation rate in Computer Science, we can start by working on the sexism rampant in our schools and workplaces. From there we can go towards encouraging young, talented and ambitious women to consider studying computer science and taking up jobs in the tech industry. We can make our tech firms more accepting and open towards women. We can teach our young boys to give women respect and treat them as their equals in schools and elsewhere.

Policies need to be made to drive the rate of young women opting for computer science in college by encouraging women through actions such as providing scholarships, mentorships, guidance, summer internships and tours of tech companies. All of this requires funding, so an effective policy that allocates money for this cause is needed.

However, others efforts are needed to be done at the grassroots level to influence people and change their mindset for good. There is an urgent need to reduce, if not eliminate, the rampant sexism in tech workplaces and colleges. By raising awareness about this issue and highlighting it can we break sexism as a norm and the next logical step is to hold people guilty of it properly accountable for their actions. This step is where grassroots movements can employ influence to drive change.

But there is work to be done at a much more elementary level. Change has to start from the age when boys and girls get conditioned into their roles in society. The modern education system needs to accommodate both boys and girls equally when it comes to the study of sciences. Boys need to be taught and understood that girls can be equally capable, if not more, in sciences and that anyone with a talent, regardless of race or gender needs to be respected for their work.

Perhaps another affirmative action would be to pressurize tech firms to hire a greater number of talented women when considering for technical roles. Diversity in workplaces creates more inclusion and a more open and accepting attitude towards others which can trickle down into the company’s services itself. Not only that, it would also break the stereotype of computer science typically being a male-dominated domain and shattering pre-conceived notions is a good indicator of change itself. And as mentioned before, in countries like Pakistan more women in computer science would lead to greater women empowerment, both economically and socially.

If we can get legislatures, social activists, and other concerned parties united on this cause, in five years time we may see a marked improvement in women involvement in IT and a momentum being built which will carry the cause to its eventual goal: equal access for women in IT, for real.

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