Although technology is increasingly present in our lives, we see only few women in technology. Mainly in leadership positions – although many have the same level of knowledge, or even greater than that of many men.
In addition to the issue of capacity, we still have the deficit of technology professionals around the world. With the increasing number of companies accelerating their Digital Transformation to obtain competitive advantages, the demand for people who work in the area grows.
Because that is crucial to promoting diversity in companies. The company gets even better with capable professionals. They contribute to the technology evolution regardless of who they are.
Number of women working in the tech market
According to a study done by the Deloitte, the global tech industry has seen an increase in women’s participation they engage a third of the market.
In the specific case of Latin America, KPMG found that women occupy 16% of managerial positions in technology companies, with the world average being 11%.
Despite being low numbers, 100, and 200 years ago they were almost non-existent. Still, some women changed the history of technology. Continue reading to learn about some of them and find out how to promote female inclusion in the IT market.
Women who made technology history
Meet three women who left a very important legacy for the evolution of technology and society.
Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace lived during the 19th century, describing logical operations long before the emergence of the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first computer. At the time, there was a lot of resistance from society regarding the admission of women to higher education.
However, this did not stop Ada, who was passionate about mathematics, from publishing articles related to data processing, including using only the initials of her name so as not to be identified as a woman.
Edith Clarke
An interesting fact about Edith Clarke is that she worked as a human computer. In the old days, before equipment such as the ENIAC appeared, some people performed functions similar to a computer, especially mathematical calculations.
Edith studied civil engineering and then became the first woman to earn a master’s degree in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In addition, she registered a graphing calculator as her first patent, aiming to improve methods for solving problems related to energy transmission.
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr was an inventor and actress. Born in Austria and based in the United States. Through a partnership with composer George Antheil, she developed a communications system used by the US Armed Forces during World War II.
This contribution later contributed to the creation of mobile telephony.
Challenges faced by women in technology
There is no point in retreating or becoming discouraged in the face of resistance imposed by society. In the specific case of Ada Lovelace, as we have seen, she lived at a time when women were not well regarded at a university.
Having courage when dealing with these challenges is an excellent way to practice and consolidate female leadership. That said, check out, below, the main current challenges that women face, especially in technology.
Lack of representativeness
There aren’t enough women working in technology yet. Unfortunately, this can be discouraging for women to enter IT. Prejudice creates an extra obstacle to overcome — which can discourage them — and, as an alternative, these women end up looking for other areas of activity.
Human beings, by nature, tend to consider representativeness very important, so the more references in a sector, the greater the incentive to invest heavily in a given career.
Salary difference
The wage gap between men and women in technology is still an obstacle. After all, it’s not fair to study years and years and receive a smaller salary just because of gender, not for your qualifications and deliveries. One more problem to be faced by women to be able to position themselves in this market.
Actions to promote gender equality in the IT sector
Even though the scenario has shown some improvements we have a long way from equal pay between men and women in technology. Through some actions, it is possible to significantly improve this scenario in the medium and long term, increasing female participation in IT jobs.
Creation of committees in companies
Some companies have already become aware of the inclusion of women in technology. A diversity committee, for example, can help a lot in this regard, to promote, among other actions, the sharing of experiences, knowledge, and, above all, recognition.
Access to qualification
Many companies promote access to qualifications for women so that they can develop not only technical skills but also behavioral ones. Google is a great example in this regard, as it offers a free training program, including an approach aimed at the female audience.
BRQ Digital Solutions also offers free tech training through the Entry Point BRQ training program, which has trained more than 900 people so far.
Through different modalities, the program has already opened exclusive classes for women, needy students, and for black people, among others. Many of the Entry Point students today are part of our Beasts team.
Throughout the article, we saw that the presence of women in technology is essential. To help meet the companies’ need for professionals in the field, it is necessary that the female audience, as well as any other, be equally included in this market.
