Is Tech Still the Boys Club?
Asking questions like “why is tech industry still a man’s field?” may seem funny to most of the people
When all of the leading companies claim that 30% of their workforce is women but the story of women in tech has more sides than you know.
At some point you might have heard about Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, Bill gates and countless others of similar stature in the tech industry. Can you name any women?
The answer is NO!
Why do you think there are very few woman in the top leadership positions. Aren’t they capable enough?
The answer is NO!
Girls are less likely to study STEM in school. Is it because they are not interested?
The answer is NO!
It is because girls are encouraged to take “safer paths” in career by their parents.
50% of women engineers quit tech jobs after working for a while. Is it because they find it difficult?
The answer is NO! Again.
Most of them move into HR and Marketing jobs or any job which gives them enough time to manage their household.
Consider a situation where the husband and wife work at different locations. Who do you think will quit their job so that they can stay together and raise a family?
Imagine another situation of a working mother who has to manage the household chores, alongside. She leaves office early to attend to her kids, takes leave for providing for the family, and still works the best of her ability. While her male counterparts put in those late nights and extra hours to their work without having to worry about a lot of things. Who do you think will get better promotions and hike?
You know the answer.
If you are a woman reading this, and if you can relate to the bias simply break them.
If you are a man reading this, ask yourself a question Would you still be achieving everything if you were a girl?
So, finally what changes can be done
Role models are needed
“jo diktha hai vahee biktha hai” what I mean is visibility, is important. Every successful woman’s story is worth reading it should be incorporated in the syllabus in the school and college level. It would be inspiring to most of the young girls
Marriage is a barrier
It is okay if someone prioritizes something else to leave their tech job but it should be a choice not a compulsion. Try to voice out your opinion and discuss your goals with your partner and find a middle ground. With the emerge of remote work and all things are little easy compared to the previous decades.
Awareness is the key
Many woman are not aware of the policies made in their favor in the industry. Many companies are giving period leaves, maternity leaves to the new mothers so that they can embark on their journey of motherhood.
Stop questioning about work-life balance
If you ever meet any successful women in tech, what would be the first question you would ask her? How were you able to manage both family and work? Honestly, don’t ask questions like this. You are simply nurturing a thought process that, it is how things should be if a woman is successful. Instead ask about their support system or who are her role models.
Change in the education models
In our textbooks or television shows we always portrayed women doing household works, taking music classes or being in a helpless situation. So, we fail to understand that we are inculcating the gender roles in the very young age from the stories they read and the movies they watched.
More than women being part of tech industry we should emphasize more on men taking part of the household work and encouraging women in their life to achieve their goals.
Well, this is my view on breaking stereotypes, gender roles regarding women in tech!
