How Women Are Breaking Barriers In Technology Space

Globally, the technology industry is dominated by men and the scene in India is no different. As per a March 2020 NASSCOM report, India’s Tech Industry: Women For The Techade, females comprise 35 per cent of the nation’s technology industry.

Partly, this is linked to the universal stereotype that women aren’t competent in tech and its niche segments such as data science, AI, ML and the like. With the world steadily moving toward greater gender equity and a more inclusive workplace, women are breaking the glass ceiling in one industry after another. Today, girls with varied interests and inclinations are striving for successful careers while harbouring greater awareness about the increasingly available options.

Meanwhile, although gender diversity remains low, the corporate perspective is gradually becoming more receptive to an inclusive environment, with more women assuming leadership roles. 

Empirical evidence shows companies with a higher proportion of women enjoy better outcomes. The Credit Suisse Research Institute’s report, ‘Gender 3000 in 2021: Broadening the diversity discussion’, indicates that women hold around 24 per cent of boardroom positions worldwide. The research reveals that increased gender diversity in leadership positions has a positive correlation with higher returns on capital, ESG (environmental, social and governance) metrics and stock performance.

Despite increased societal awareness about educating girls, a fair amount of bias still exists that girls should take up more “comfortable” jobs rather than entering tough domains such as the technology space, traditionally considered a male bastion. Yet, there is a steady rise in the number of girls opting for these careers.

With easy access to learning resources, more skill improvement opportunities and welcoming work cultures, a rising percentage of women are being encouraged to enter the tech sphere. Nonetheless, girls must be inspired in their formative years to prepare for tech careers. Here, parents, schools and the society at large need to be extra supportive in providing relevant opportunities for the girl-child to embrace the possibility of pursuing a successful career rather than programming herself to become a homemaker. 

Many women have made their presence felt in the tech firmament, including Debjani Ghosh, Neelam Dhawan, Kirthiga Reddy, Deepa Madhavan, Roshni Nadar and Vanitha Narayanan. As the world commemorates International Women’s Day, one wonders why gender diversity initiatives have not ensured adequate representation for women in technology. 

Diversity is perceived as particularly critical for the tech industry since it can facilitate the creation of products that considers the interest of all people. Unfortunately, this fact is overlooked and even the world’s top tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft have on average only 34.4 per cent women in their workforce.

Women’s underrepresentation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) roles is also partially attributed to the significant barrier women face in promotions to managerial and C-suite positions, placing them at an immediate disadvantage vis-à-vis men. 

Given the studies that higher women’s representation in leadership roles leads to more productive outcomes, it makes perfect business sense to hire more women in the tech sector to capitalize on the gender equity dividend.

The writer is a Data Scientist (Tech) – Meesho

---