Gender Discrimination in Tech

Erica Terranova is an International talent living in Finland. She has experienced first hand how difficult it can be to navigate one’s career as an international woman in Finland. She also has a PhD in Sociology of Cultural Phenomena. Erica talks about the discrimination women face in the job market and the gender gap in tech industry.

Gender Discrimination in Tech

Studies show that diverse companies are more successful than less diverse companies. It makes sense for businesses to aim for a more diverse workforce. Despite this, the change is slow. Although the current trend is to hire more women, women still face discrimination in their jobs. Sometimes, it is overt sexism, but more often, it is implicit and unconscious. This can be for example labelling women as aggressive or hot-headed when they show traits that men are generally applauded for.

In addition to implicit sexism, imposter syndrome is a phenomenon in the work life that Erica thinks we should look at differently. Normally, imposter syndrome is considered a personal issue of women, something a person should solve by themselves. Erica says that rather than blaming women who suffer from the imposter syndrome, we should look at the effects of the surrounding environment. Does the working environment support women, nurture their confidence? Are womens’ ideas appreciated?

Modern companies in the startup ecosystem are not free from discrimination. For example, male founders tend to get more funding than female founders. Startups also tend to recruit people similar to their existing employees– resulting in a non-diverse workforce. In tech, the gender gap has widened over the years. Interestingly, software engineering used to be considered a secretarial job fit for women in the early days of the industry, and women were in the majority. In the 80s, the gender gap in tech started to significantly widen. According to one theory, this was because computers were given as gifts to boys and mathematical skills were increasingly emphasised.

Towards More Inclusive Companies

How to make the gap smaller, then? Erica lists ways companies can strive for a more inclusive workforce:

• Using neutral language in job advertisements instead of gendered terms
• Training the hiring team to avoid bias in the recruitment process
• Hiring based on potential, not only skills
• Mentorship programs

Ensuring there are tools for diverse workforce to prosper: paying attention to the processes after recruitment

Intersectional Discussion and Action Needed

The roots of discrimination are complex. Childhood and upbringing affect how boys and girls perceive themselves. The expectations and restrictions for girls can affect how they grow up and what choices they have. All choices are valid as long as there is choice — If women have no choice over their own lives, there is a problem. It is important to remember that gender is not the only factor that can limit a person’s choices. If one is subjected to both sexism and racism, the choice becomes even narrower. This is why intersectional discussion is needed, Erica says.

But discussion is not enough — action is needed. KPIs and quotas are examples of concrete actions that can be taken in companies. Including diversity in KPIs can measure things like how many women and minorities were hired in a certain timeline. If diversity is a goal, it should be assessed by KPIs.

What can we do?

Erica recommends two things: listening and doing. Listen to people with different backgrounds, people in different positions. Question your privilege. Do something and speak up — for example, question the current practices in recruitment.