International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated globally on Wednesday, March 8. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity.
According to the IWD site, International Women’s Day “is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.”
Around the world the technology sector has seen massive proliferation and investment. In the context of this level of growth how well has gender equality progressed in this key STEM field?
While great strides have been and continue to be made in the technology industry, it is important to note that there remains work to be done. One significant barrier is due to IT and technology being deemed as a male dominated subject to study at school.
According to Zippia, in 2022, women held just 28 percent of computing and mathematical jobs in the U.S., and made up only 34.4 percent of the workforce of the U.S.’s largest tech companies (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft).
According to Erica Cronan, Global Marketing Manager, Datadobi there are things that employers in tech can do further promote equality and diversity.
Cronan explains: “Although the message of International Women’s Day is not restricted to just one day of the year, the chosen subject for this year urges us to think explicitly about eliminating biases. The impression of what women can and cannot do is a major source of hardship for many.”
As to some of the actions taken so far, Cronan adds: “We’ve come a long way in eradicating some of the stereotypes about women in technology, but we still have a ways to go. Encouraging women and allies of women worldwide to demonstrate their support in a variety of ways is crucial to breaking barriers. Look inside yourself to see what beliefs you might be holding that are still contributing to the issues that women encounter in the workplace.”
Yet there is more that can be done and creating positive role models is one of the measures that can be taken.
Here Cronan recommends: “In the same way, I urge women in tech to be open to mentoring new team members. We can achieve gender equity and a more balanced workplace by having strong female role models in the field.” Drawing on her own experiences, Cronan states: “I am grateful to be a part of an organizational culture that supports diversity and encourages women to express their creativity and develop new skills. The leaders and organizations we as women must select must promote equality.”
