Bring Women to the Table
One of my biggest struggles and pain-points throughout the semester has been dealing with the obvious and apparent lack of women and diversity within the tech industry. Over the past few months, we had several guest speakers come in and took several field trips to local agencies to learn about opportunities and trends in the tech industry. After each guest speaker and every field trip, it became painfully clear that one of the biggest trends in the tech industry is that it is extremely male dominated.
Although I have been working in the tech industry for more than eight years, the issue is not as prevalent within the niche IT government contracting industry. I believe this is partly because the laws and regulations governing the IT government contracting industry, specifically the set aside and sole source programs, help provide opportunities for socially and economically individuals which spearheads inclusion in the workforce. While I think these programs are advantageous, it is extremely sad that these programs have to be created in the first place to provide equal opportunity for women and minorities.
Women offer a unique value and mindset that is extremely beneficial in the tech industry, and more specifically in user centered design. As Psychology Today states, “In general, females are stronger empathizers and males are stronger systemizers.” Empathy is the basis of user centered design, so why as an industry are we not bringing women to the table? As authors Rebekah Cancino and Shaina Rozen state, “Until we have equal representation from women and minorities in our workforce, the products and digital experiences we design will never be as strong, inclusive, or accessible as they could be.”
The point of my post is not meant to bash men or even the tech industry. The point I am trying to make is women are underrepresented within an industry that benefits from our cognitive strengths and inherited differences. Furthermore, gender inequality is still an issue. It is why 2.5 million people took part in the Women’s March on January 21, 2017. Ignoring the issue will not make it go away.
While I had initially planned to provide tips for women in tech, I want to avoid the stereotypical kumbaya “let’s join hands, we’re all in this together” and leave the tech industry with one simple piece of advice — bring women to the table.
