How Pronounced Is Gender Disparity in Tech Industries? Greater Than You May Think
By Tamara Backovic
Even though the workplace landscape has changed in the last couple of years, the status of women in tech is still substandard.
According to women-in-tech statistics for 2020, a mere 20% of positions in the tech world are held by women. Yet the situation is not as gloomy as it may seem, according to the women-in-tech report:
“Silicon Valley Bank says 60% of those startups have at least one woman in an executive position. Although we often hear that there is a lack of female technology leaders, the reality is that more and more women are becoming involved in leadership positions or launching startups.”
So what’s the real deal? How strong is gender disparity at the moment? How can women in tech fight for their rights?
The Current Situation
Even without elaborate studies and statistical data, it is easy to see that the role of women in tech is not equal to that of men. Not by a long shot. In fact, the stats show that one out of three people in the high-tech sector in 2018 was a woman.
When it comes to the science industry, technology and engineering, men are the dominant force. They hold virtually all the executive positions, such as CEOs, founders, owners, and so on. Only 40% of tech startups in the United States have at least one woman on the board of directors.
Some Reasons Why
As we all know, the phenomenon of gender bias can develop at a young age. In fact, it often starts in school, when young girls often are not encouraged to pursue STEM subjects.
However, studies show that women are more likely to earn a BA or other degree than their male counterparts. Women are often more driven and more determined than men. They draw inspiration from other women and this leads to better results in education.
What Does the Future Hold?
Despite the limited opportunities and lack of support from the management, the role of women in tech is about to take a sharp turn for the better. Why do we say this?
For starters, the economy itself is changing and evolving. The days of the cradle-to-grave model are coming to an end. The so-called gig economy is shifting the focus toward expertise and knowledge, breaking the barriers and building a new ground. Among other things, this could bring more opportunities for women in tech to create change through conscious leadership.
The gender disparity in the tech world is affecting women worldwide, and there is still a long way to go to solve this issue. The first step is to recognize the problem and increase awareness—then act to change the dominant corporate culture.
A longer version of this article by Tamara Backovic, a content specialist at KommandoTech, was originally published by Conscious Company Media. B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
Why It’s Time to Increase the Role of Women in Tech was originally published in B The Change on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
