In this post, as part of our women in STEM series, we speak to Caroline Lloyd, Product Owner at TrakCel about her views on the gender imbalance in the technology industry.
Sadly, results shared by womenintech.co.uk of a survey conducted with over 1000 women working in the technology sector that showed the majority still felt that there was a significant gender gap in the industry. Disclosing that in their experience there were still significantly more men working in the sector than women and the report quoting that “Around 78% of large organisations admitted to having a gender pay gap in tech, with males earning more than females.” This undoubtedly contributes to the reluctance of many women to join the sector and the fact that the report cites that the “quit rate in technology is more than twice as high for women (47%) than it is for men (17%)”
What are your thoughts on the gender imbalance in tech?
Historically tech was not seen as a potential career path for women, but I do feel like the imbalance is getting smaller. We’re seeing a more even split of applicants, especially for junior development roles which hopefully means a vibrant pipeline of amazing talent coming through over the next few years. It’s going to take time for that to be seen at more senior levels as experience still counts but I’m positive this will come. To be fair, tech isn’t the only industry that suffers from this challenge – I’ve been more outnumbered in other industries (I’m looking at you banking and insurance!).
What advice would you give to other women wanting to pursue a career in tech?
If you have a passion for something, pursue it. You’ll always be the only one of you in the room, so it’s ok to be the only woman in the room too – be proud of being both those things.
In your opinion, how do we get more women in tech?
That’s a big question! There are many things we could improve – we have to advertise roles in a way that appeal to everyone, that doesn’t make anyone think they can’t / shouldn’t want any role; we have to design and embed working environments that value diversity and input from all; we have to put ourselves forward as role models (however imperfect we are / feel) and we have to champion each other for our skills and capabilities regardless of gender or any other factor.
Huge thanks to Caroline and all of the team that took the time to share their thoughts and experiences of working in the technology sector as part of our Women in STEM blog section. Want to get involved? View the latest career opportunities at TrakCel.
The full results of the women in tech survey are available to download from their website here.
Article by TrakCel Marketing Team - 5 Oct 2019
