In celebration of the latest International Women’s Day, the leading hospitality technology company Guestline brought together its own panel of five female technology professionals to discuss and review their thoughts on what the future holds for women in technology.
Focusing on the following key questions, the debate put an important spotlight on the role women play in technology and, crucially, the support and building blocks needed to support and inspire the next generation:
- How can we stimulate interest in tech-related subjects at school?
- How can society and business make tech a more appealing career option for women?
- What is their advice for women thinking of pursuing a career in what is still a very male dominated world?
The five Guestline panel members are:
- Bruna Lima –Software Developer
- Zsuzsanna Tomescu – QA Team Leader
- Pamela Grubich – Junior Developer
- Julia Kopatzki – Junior Product Owner
- Evie Cowie- Quality Assurance Tester
Build greater understanding and interest at school
The Guestline panel discussion highlighted the lack of knowledge and understanding of tech careers at school, where participants were typically thinking about future careers or at least future fields of study. STEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – typically associated with roles within technology, are not attracting females in the numbers they would hope.
Many see a career in tech as unappealing and only for those who excel in science and maths-based subjects, with stereotypes prevailing all too often.
Only one of the five Guestliners on the panel considered tech as a future career option when at school – for the rest, it wasn’t on their radar. With this in mind, there is a clear need for schools and education institutions to focus on changing misaligned perceptions and raising the visibility of the broad spectrum of roles within technology and the benefits a career in tech can bring.
In addition, there needs to be an increased awareness of the skills and knowledge that roles in tech demand.
Yes, many roles require strong analytical and problem-solving skills, but as the scope and impact of technology on our day-to-day life expands, it’s important for females to understand that other skills and knowledge are also important. These include strong interpersonal skills, creativity, the ability to work effectively under pressure, and an understanding and interest in psychology and human behaviour.
Tech giants to actively target women
‘While the tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple, are seen as ‘sexy ‘places to work, I sometimes feel people may not make the connection between these companies and working in tech,’ said Bruna. ‘Tech roles conjure up one image, and working for these companies conjures up another image. People don’t always connect the two.’
Bruna believes that more could be done by these companies to showcase what working for them is like; investing in speaking to students to demonstrate the variety of roles available and the broad spectrum of skills they demand and that female candidates can bring to roles. ‘These giants need to speak to females at school and inspire them by showing what working for them is like- perhaps they do, but it needs to be done more effectively and with females in mind.’
Linking technology with humanitarian efforts
Another area that could benefit from greater awareness the panel discussed is highlighting the impact of technology in every aspect of our day-to-day lives. Raising awareness of the connection between some of the more exciting applications of technology and the work behind it.
Technology is increasingly integral to everything we do and with half of women saying in a recent survey** that finding work that ‘makes the world a better place’ was key in their choice of career, greater awareness of technology’s increasing role in healthcare initiatives and humanitarian efforts is required to inspire new entrants.
The important message and takeaway to inspire new females into technology needs to focus on how a career in technology and working to help make the world a better place are not mutually exclusive and by working in tech, you can help to build the future of everything around you.
More female role models
A common theme in the panel’s discussion was the absence of female role models – both in technology as a whole, but especially in leadership positions. With Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg and Elon Musk household names, the absence of notable female tech leads reinforces the perception that technology is a man’s world.
More high-profile women making a name for themselves in technology are needed, to demonstrate that women can succeed and thrive in technology and challenge any preconceived gender bias.
Finally, we asked our five Guestliners what their advice would be for women thinking about a career in tech
The general consensus was that tech can offer a career for everyone and that no one should be put off by outdated stereotypes. Bruna suggests contacting companies you are interested in and asking to spend some time there to understand what working in tech is all about.
She also suggests engaging with organisations such as ‘Girls who Code’, whose mission is to close the gender gap within technology.
Evie says ‘Don’t’ judge a book by its cover!’ and a day working in a tech team could dramatically change your perception of what working in tech involves.
All agreed that tech professionals should not be pigeon-holed – the sector offers many different roles all requiring different skills – there is something for everyone!
To read the original copy of this article and learn more about the role of women in technology please visit the Guestline blog: guestline.com/resources/blog
