In this current generation, we all are technically living on and surrounded by one thing that is gradually advancing day by day: technology. Most probably in newspapers, on video or even just while flicking through the channels on a lazy Sunday, you will see the latest advancements being talked about on the news. We appreciate such neverending advancements, but do we ever appreciate the people behind all these genius ideas? Have we ever thought about this? Some common names that come up are Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. What do they all have in common, other than the contributions to this world of technology? The fact that they are all men. I have continuously observed men getting the most amount of visibility on TV. Think about it. When was the last time you have ever heard of a female CEO? Or a female starting an app or a piece of technology that could impact the world in a sort of way? A long time, right? So why is this the case in tech companies?
This is because the main losses of tech companies in terms of female employees are of those who have high or senior positions in a company such as COO, CFO and secretary. Such women who take on a lot of work and pressure are usually overlooked because of their gender, so due to the underrepresentation, they end up feeling unsatisfied with the career path they have chosen. This leads to them to rethink their choices and feel like they can never get a promotion or advancement in the field they are in, causing their resignation. A similar trend is seen outside of the workplace. When I was in IGCSE, I had taken computer science as a subject, and in a whole class of 20 people, there were only 5 girls. Nowadays, according to Harvard Business Review, Silicon Valley companies are trying to fix this underrepresentation of women in tech fields. One factor they all agree on doing is to inspire young girls in high school and college to take up computer science, but this is not the only factor that is a reason for low numbers. In addition, a study featured in Harvard Business Review found that in the span of 12 years, 50% of women who do computer science leave the tech industry. According to one technology executive, “We have some very capable women in the middle management and junior VP levels, but they leave our firm to advance their careers as they continually get passed over for promotion.” This really needs to end. There are many talented women out there that end up leaving because of this. All these women play an integral part in this continuous rapid advancement in our world.
So what should companies do to stop senior women leaving tech? Simple. Give women more of the right kind of visibility and exposure to important projects. Research conducted by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and the Anita Borg Institute found out that women were less likely to be assigned to high-visibility projects. Furthermore, when 240 senior leaders who work at Silicon Valley were asked what the most critical factors were for promotion, all 240 senior leaders stated visibility as being the most important factor for advancement, whether it is visibility in skills, assignments and networks.
In terms of skills, due to women being underrepresented for visibility projects, they are less likely to be chosen for groups that require visibility and are also less likely to earn leadership roles. When being screened for roles, terms such as “crushed it” and “killed it” were used for men, whereas women were criticized and called “abrasive.” In addition, according to Harvard Business Review, some women have commented on the fact that their likeability affects how they are treated. When men sometimes showed these characteristics, they were seen in a positive way, whereas with women the same characteristics were seen negatively. As a result, men who are less capable sometimes get chosen then for high positions due to their gender, even when there is a more talented, capable woman available. So, to make the workplace or any place better, it is necessary to ensure that both men and women get equal opportunities when allocating high visibility tech projects to allow more transparency and awareness altogether, successfully keeping women in tech and building a diverse, talented cohort of female leaders.
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