Nick Gold, CEO, Jobsite
The tech world has not always been as male-dominated as it is today. From the beginning of computing in the 1940s, women led major developments in programming and software development. In 1984, 37% of computer-science majors were women; curiously coding was a rote skill – like typing – and considered more suited to women. The tech industry's image shifted rapidly in the 1980s and 90s, when society began to associate programming with men. The earliest games consoles were marketed as boys’ toys which meant they were more exposed to coding. Today, only one in four computing jobs is held by a woman. Programming isn't a male or female job and remembering this is essential to address the tech industry’s skills gap.
Of course, these days the tech world is not only about coding: while females need to be encouraged into studying more technology-based subjects, there are many things companies can do to attract and retain women. Jobsite was part of a large study last year to delve into how we can close the skills gap in the UK, and encouraging women is one such option. It brings other benefits too, including much sought-after diversity of opinion and thought. After all, women are around half of the population, so products, services and solutions need to be designed to include them as well.
More women are joining the tech world and, whilst it may be slower than ideal, there is a definite increase. Just over 30% of female respondents in a Computer Weekly survey last year had been in a tech job for less than five years, compared to 19% of men. In the more experienced part of the IT workforce, 70% of men have been in tech for 10 years or more, compared with just 45% of women. If women can be retained in the sector, this is a positive rebalancing.
Diversity is desired by teams, as this encourages diversity of approach, but firms often focus too much on technical skills when hiring staff, without considering what other skills are needed for tech roles. Often, as the tech industry has grown, people who could be trained to fill a role are overlooked in favour of the few people who have the technical skills needed to walk straight into a role, which has led not only to a gender gap, but also to a skill one.
Not only are employers often failing to consider soft skills, but many also still suffer from an unconscious bias, making them more likely to hire people who are like them, leaving out the diverse applicants, be it women, older candidates or other less-represented groups.
Once women have joined, it is not enough for companies to sit back and think they have achieved diversity. That defeats the object – it is not just about meeting an imaginary quota.
Women in technology tend to leave the field within 10 years and this is often because they feel unsupported to make other life decisions, like having children. If companies have a clearly articulated retraining policy for women in highly technical roles, like coding, they are more likely to return to work after a break to have children. We found that women valued remote working (76%) and career progression opportunities (72%).
Remote working goes a long way to putting an end to the “Dilbert Era” perception of the IT workplace and an increasing number of entrepreneurial tech companies are making the field more attractive to a broader range of people.
The workplace has changed, but there is a clear historical precedent for women doing exceptionally well in technology and bringing them back into the fold solves many challenges for UK businesses.
