6 Ways to Support Women in the Tech Industry

Despite all of the progress that has been made to make the tech industry more inclusive, it is still true that only around 19 percent of the tech sector workforce is made up of women, which means we all have a long way to go until true equality is reached in this important industry.

If you are currently working in tech and you want to do everything you can to support more women coming into, and being accepted within, the tech industry, here are a few things you can do:

If you currently work in the tech industry, one of the best things you can do is to support other women who wish to enter the workforce is to be the best role model you can be.

The tech sector has a lot of male role models from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, but far fewer well-known female role models. Women like Ada Lovelace who was an early example of a strong woman in tech, are well-known, but modern examples are surprisingly hard to come by.

By grabbing every opportunity you can to raise your profile and show the world what women in tech are able to achieve, you will be able to inspire the next generation of women in tech by showing them that it is more than possible to forge a path in what is still a male-dominated industry.

If you already work in the tech industry, then you are in an excellent position to become a mentor. Taking another woman under your wing and teaching her everything you know about the tech industry, how to break into it and make a good impression, and how to forge a strong and lasting career, is a great way to bring more women into the fold n d support them in achieving their full potential in tech, A mentor can do everything from explaining the benefits of mechanical keyboard switches for better productivity to introducing their mentees to the right people in the right places at the right times. It is one of the best ways to support women in tech right now.

3. Celebrate the achievements of women

Women are fsr more likely to feel like they can make it in the tech industry and be taken seriously if they are successful women already working within the sector being celebrated for all they do. 

So, one thing you could think about doing if you are serious about supporting women in tech is to sponsor a prize or awards ceremony for those women who have made an impression and inspired positive change in the field.

If you are a successful woman working in the tech industry, you are the perfect person to inspire the next generation of girls to choose a career in the tech industry, By visiting local schools and colleges and talking about what it is you do, as well as the wide range fo tech careers it is possible to have, you can show young girls and women that it is possible to forge a successful career working with technology, and you can inspire them how to do just that by telling them you own story.

It is so hard still to get many girls interested in STEM subjects because they do not believe that science and technology is something that women concern themselves with in the main, so anything you can do to dispel that myth at an early age will definitely help more girls consider their options and get the relevant qualifications at will allow them to work in tech should they wish to do so, when they are older.

Something that puts a lot of women off entering the tech profession, and which can make it more difficult for them to succeed if they do, is a lack of family-friendly policies in the workplace. 

If you are currently working in the industry, then lobbying for things like onsite daycare, better maternity policies and more flexible working hours can all help to improve the conditions so that more women can seriously consider working in the tech industry without having to sacrifice too much in order to do so.

Of course, one of the best things you can do to support women in the tech industry is to simply hire more of them. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is sometimes not as easy as it should be to do due to the fact that it is often men who have the most impressive resumes, on paper at least, because they have always been readily accepted in the industry and thus been able to build up an impressive portfolio whereas women may be newer to the industry and may have taken more time out due to being mothers and handling childcare issues.

This may mean that you need to put some positive discrimination into action. Collating all-women shortlists to ensure that you hire a mix of genders. This is something that can be very positive if you work in a male-dominated company and you want to encourage more applications from women because, the more females who are working in a company, the more supported other women will feel in making an application too. Obviously, hire the best people for the job, but bear in mind that women are just as good in the tech field as men - they just may need you to look more closely and make allowances for the gender biases that have existed in the past when you are making a decision.

The tech industry may still have a long way to go until it reaches true gender equality, but real efforts are being made to bring more women into the sector, and as you can see, there

are a number of important things you can do to help this happen and support women in the tech sector now and in the future.