When Women are left behind in technology, we all pay the price*
In an era where technology sets the pace of development and software is among the fastest-growing and most employable areas, women are still largely on the sidelines and not the protagonists of digital transformation.
According to the study “Women in Tech: the best bet to solve Europe’s talent shortage” by McKinsey & Company, only 37% of women work in tech companies or those related to the tech sector. Most work in more functional areas, such as social media (50%) or e-commerce (46%), with more technical roles, like engineering, network architecture, data science and analysis, and cloud, generally occupied by men.
The importance of female inclusion deeply affects the diversity of perspectives in products and solutions and the development of a more inclusive and representative organizational culture. Gender underrepresentation also causes a colossal waste of economic potential. To give an idea, the same McKinsey study reveals that if female presence doubled by 2027, the EU’s GDP could surge by up to 600 billion euros.
Gender diversity in companies is not a matter of quotas or mere formality. It is a driver of superior performance and productivity. Over 63% of Fortune 500 companies in Europe have committed to it, framed within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 – Gender Equality.
Various studies show that teams with gender diversity are likelier to achieve above-average results. Therefore, women’s contribution to technology is crucial to promote equality and boost competitiveness and economic growth.
Like in all other work areas, women add value because they think and feel the challenges and opportunities from a different prism: they have good management and organization skills, a strong practical sense, and greater ease in developing social and human skills such as communication, caring for others, and empathy. Moreover, women naturally focus on businesses that have a positive impact on society. It is no coincidence that most women-founded startups dedicate themselves to areas like health, education, environment, sustainability, or social action.
Barriers to Overcome
As the CEO of a technology company, I recognize that I am part of a minority of women who hold leadership positions in traditionally “male” sectors – in the EU, women hold only 8% of CEO positions, and in Portugal, the number drops to 6%. This is because they still face many barriers: prejudices, stereotypes, harassment, lack of encouragement in training (only 34% of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are women) and representation (female models in top positions), salary differences (women earn 12.7% less than men), greater responsibilities in family care, and women’s own self-demands (women feel they have to work twice as hard to prove their worth, even when applying for jobs, they think they need to meet 100% of the requirements, while men apply with just 60%, according to Harvard Business Review).
However, initiatives by companies committed to diversity, like Quidgest, which promotes female inclusion through flexible work models, free training in software development and digital skills, and a diverse workforce of 43% women, are some ways to overcome these barriers.
But there are other steps to be taken on this journey towards gender equality: inclusion in education and personal development from an early age on technology-related issues; access to quality information about technology to “demystify” the sector; the creation of support networks and networking to support and empower women in technology; the creation of inclusive recruitment, selection, and retention policies, as well as mentorship and career promotion, within companies; the requalification of adult women in the field; and greater involvement and collaboration between policymakers, the business and/or entrepreneurial sector, and universities to bridge this gap.
History has already graced us with Nicole-Reine Lepaute, who calculated the return of Halley’s Comet in the 18th century; Ada Lovelace, a pioneer in computer programming in the 19th century; women mathematicians who worked as human computers during World War II; Katherine Johnson, who stood out during the American space age; and Mary Wilkes, who created one of the first PCs in the 60s; among many others.
The potential of women in the technological field is immense. But it continues to be untapped, and there is a whole file of generations of girls and women to inspire, motivate, and support. What are we, each of us, and from the place we occupy in our families, companies, communities, schools, and universities, doing to make this happen? It’s worth reflecting on this on International Women’s Day, which should be remembered and worked on not just once a year, but every day.
* This article was originally published in Expresso.
