The world, fortunately, is becoming an equal place. People of both genders are now more educated than previous generations. New immigrants have the same opportunities to start successful businesses as citizens born in the country. Individuals with impairments are more visible and given greater chances to succeed on their own merits.
The world is becoming more inclusive. So, why are just a few percent of female developers in the tech industry? According to the Lehman Brothers Center for Women in Business research, gender-equal teams are more creative and more inclined to think, exhibiting knowledge sharing.
Also, according to a study conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), teams with females were more likely to stay on schedule and have lower project expenses. Where have all the female developers gone? Unfortunately, around 40% of women who earn engineering degrees leave the profession or never enter the industry.
For those who leave, the most prevalent reasons are poor work environments and abuse from male colleagues and bosses. So, how can you combat this statistic to entice women into a tech company?
How Many Women Are Working In Tech?
In the United States, women only hold 25% of tech jobs. With limitless development potential, technology will remain the future’s industry. The position of technology has grown to be so essential that it is no longer just a tool or a method for accomplishing tasks; rather, it is an integral part of people’s everyday lives and work-related operations.
However, it would be fine to assist with this shortage of skills by paying more attention to women in the technology industry. Women should be drawn to such employers, and they should be hired at a higher rate.
Why Do Tech Companies Need More Female Developers?
Closing The Gender Gap
There are still far more males than females in the tech industry. In engineering and technology professions, there is a significant disparity between the number of males and females. Only 25% of workers in the technology sector are female tech talent, and to narrow the gap in organizations, more women must be hired.
Organizations and people must dispel the notion that women will not perform as expected or that certain technical jobs are unsuitable. The amount of prejudice decreases as a result, and the recruiting process improves.
There are still far more males than females in the tech industry. In engineering and technology professions, there is a significant disparity between the number of males and females.
Creating Role Models For Young Girls
When young girls observe women in technical occupations, they are inspired to pursue studies in STEM subjects at school. More women in technical roles will result in more role models for younger generations.
There will be more role models for women in the coming years, including engineers, designers, and founders. This will remove any doubts about whether a black, Asian, Arab, or white girl is suited for a tech profession.
Young girls will be able to spot someone who shares her interests in a career path she’s interested in and will be able to relate to them.
To Create A Balanced View Of Things
Because there aren’t enough female developers in the tech industry to allow their voices to be heard, most stories people hear are unintentionally one-sided. When there are more females in the workplace, you can better understand what concerns different people by hearing about problems from various viewpoints.
However, to have a balanced view of what goes on in the tech industry, more women are required. Having a team that includes both men and women can help bring a new perspective to problems. It will be easier to create products that suit the needs of everyone and ensure that no one is left behind when you create them.
Improving Social Inclusion
Authors suggest that addressing the gender imbalance in IT would contribute to women’s empowerment in social and economic life, which may help solve the great challenge of social inclusion.
Decreasing Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying, unfortunately, affects women the most. Creating more safety measures is possible because there are more females in technology.
Women are more sensitive to trolling than men, according to studies, because they are assaulted more frequently and in a wider range of ways. So, if women controlled tech companies, more safeguards for cyberbullying and trolling would be implemented.
Increasing The World’s Economy
Women’s participation in the workforce has a positive influence on economic development. The concept of gender equality in the workplace is a moral and ethical one and an economic one. According to research, progressing gender equality could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025.
The Number Of Women Who Code
Historically, the technology industry has consisted of mostly men. Over the last two decades, the sector has tried to get women interested in and committed to software development professions.
Did you know that only three women CEOs exist in the Fortune 500 and that females hold just 5% of all tech leadership jobs? The sector, however, still has a long way ahead. The “women problem” in the industry is well-known. But what are the solutions to these problems?
The good news is that there are many ways to increase the number of women in tech companies. Based on extensive studies, the following are the eight brilliant ways for attracting more women developers to your technology firm. You’ll discover everything you need to attract and retain more women in tech.
From encouraging the next generation to boosting startup culture and improving their experience, the changes you can make to increase the number of female tech talent within your company and keep them there for longer.
8 Brilliant Ways To Attract More Women Developers To Your Tech Company
Your goal as a technology recruiter is to fill jobs as quickly and efficiently as possible. Gender diversity issues, for example, are frequently dismissed in favor of metrics such as hiring speed. It will be best if you consider your entire team when deciding who to hire.
However, if the team you want to hire for is predominantly male, but you want to transform your culture, here are the eight ways to attract women to your tech company:
1. Be Proactive About Recruitment
Some companies miss out on hiring talented people because they neglect to search outside of their usual realms. There’s a requirement for proactive outreach to get more gender diversity and inclusion into your pipeline.
The greatest talent isn’t looking into the workforce, particularly underrepresented minorities, so you must find them where they are. It’s critical to connect with talented individuals on a personal level.
You must communicate with them about the possibilities that you can provide for excellent employment and roles in technology.
2. Start a Mentorship Program for Women
Offer mentorship programs to empower women in your company’s senior management. Make sure prospective female workers know what to look for when joining your business by utilizing your company logo and social media platforms.
Set up a meeting schedule focused on their position and encourage them to see it as beneficial throughout their whole career. A mentor can help a woman obtain new skills that she may take into her career. It’s incredible what accomplished women can teach one another in the workplace.
3. Create Opportunities For Women In Your Firm To Grow
When you contribute to the advancement of women in tech, you are also investing in your company’s and product’s creativity and innovation. Females are less likely than males to seek out opportunities for employment that they are not fully qualified for.
Women from outside the firm can help your team members refresh their thoughts and encourage them to put their ideas forward the next time you need input. Send your female tech staff to industry gatherings and conferences.
Try organizing one event each year that is exclusively for women in technology. Choose an equal number of males and females to send to external events. Your audience will expand because both men and women will appeal to various demographics, increasing your presence in your sector.
When women are involved, your company’s brand is strengthened, which leads to a cycle of equal opportunities at your firm. Promote women at the same rate as males, not out of obligation but because you hire females that you can see developing in the future.
Give excellent performance a boost with a promotion. Creating an even playing field is by far the most important thing you can do as an employer to help women succeed. When looking for any female employee, especially a woman, keep your sights on a clear career path. You need to fill one position immediately, but how might this person contribute to your company’s future?
Set objectives for the next stage in your company’s evolution when hiring or after every promotion. This openness will allow your female employees to climb the corporate ladder themselves.
4. Create Equal Benefits For Women and Men
Women don’t want to be seen as unique cases. Starting with a comprehensive maternity program is wonderful, but adding a “parental leave” policy gives them an equal opportunity. For decades, women have been held back because it was assumed they would need more time off than men.
When family leave is available to both men and women, they take the same time off. Men get more time with their families, while women are less likely to feel compelled to leave work because of family leave.
5. Show Your Care For Equal Pay
The tech world, like other sectors, has a significant gender pay gap. If your company already takes steps to ensure equal pay, highlight it in your diversity statement, issue an annual report to show your progress, and speak about it during interviews.
These actions may demonstrate to potential female applicants that you care about the problem and are doing something about it, even if you’re not ready to reveal salaries openly. It encourages women to return to the labor market if they may be paid more equally.
Female employee morale is higher, and more women choose to resume work as a result of this policy. Set a clearly defined pay structure, whether you’re just getting started or inventing a new method. Use sites like Payscale and Glassdoor to acquire industry and location averages.
Let people know you’re providing these comparable advantages. Publish a survey to support your strategy, then share it with the rest of the world. Equal pay can be the most important inbound variable in any hiring plan. Equal pay is increasingly crucial than the precise amount of money in today’s workforce.
6. Create An Inclusive Culture—In Your Company And In Your Hiring Process
Without realizing it, your company may be entrenched in “bro culture,” the contemporary version of “the boys’ club.” In the office environment, this may seem subtle, yet it has a huge influence. Having a party on a weeknight with beer and darts appears to be a lot of fun, but it may be excluding a large demographic of your workplace.
Female employees with families, or who don’t drink or don’t like to play darts, are left out and left behind if business deals and ideas are negotiated at gatherings like these. Replacing these occurrences with more inclusive events may have a significant influence on your workplace culture.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean you can never have a beer at happy hours, but why not host a company picnic on Saturday? Tell your female employees that families are welcome, but you should inform your employees if you will be serving alcohol.
Set up some team-building activities that may include families as well as teams. This supports the development of a company community rather than simply a group of coworkers. In the future, your team members will be more inclined to support one another at work due to this.
Female employees with families, or who don’t drink or don’t like to play darts, are left out and left behind if business deals and ideas are negotiated at gatherings like these. Replacing these occurrences with more inclusive events may have a significant influence on your workplace culture.
7. Analyze Job Descriptions
The way a position is described has a significant impact on the sort of people that apply for it. If you’re looking to hire more women developers, follow these three easy steps: Replace words like “ambitious,” “assertive,” or “hacker” with words like “adaptable,” “hard-working,” and “creative,” respectively.
Divide skills into two categories: necessary and desired. Keep the “necessary” abilities to a bare minimum (Men are more likely to apply for a position if they meet 60% of the standards, while women are only willing to do so if they fulfill near 100 percent of them). Run all of your job descriptions through the remarkable gender decoder to make sure they are gender-neutral.
8. Promote Family-Friendly Policies
Women in tech are more likely to apply for a position if the company has policies such as maternity leave and flexible working in job descriptions and on careers websites.
Discuss family-friendly policies during the interview process to female candidates who may progress with the firm and will not have to choose between their families and careers. If you’re not sure what constitutes family-friendly benefits, you may offer the following incentives to your employees:
- maternity and paternity leave and pay
- flexible start/finish times
- the opportunity to work from home
- carer’s leave
- childcare facilities or vouchers
- health insurance
Conclusion
Women should be encouraged to pursue technical professions to reduce the gender gap in the tech industry. They should also go through fair hiring procedures that are free of bias and prejudice.
Young ladies should be made aware that pursuing a career in technology is feasible, and they should be encouraged to pursue their careers in STEM courses. However, implementing these changes will take some time, but you should begin to see some benefits in no time.
Everyone benefits when you foster gender equality in the workplace. Finally, if you see someone who thinks that women don’t belong to the tech industry, make sure to refute them and show them that there is enough space in the tech industry for everyone wanting to join.
