We are witnessing that the tech landscape is evolving at a faster pace than ever and not even the next hour will be the same. There is new technology over the previous one that will be emerging every day. However, even with this advancement, there is something that has become quite a concern among analysts which is the role of women in the tech world. It has been noticed that women often have to face some significant challenges if they want to pursue career and grow in the tech industry.
It has been reported that only 24% of computing jobs are held by women, according to a recent report by Girls Who Code. Although women comprise 47% of the U.S. workforce, this is not true. Women have missed out on opportunities in technology, but the industry has also suffered. Teams with diverse backgrounds outperform homogeneous ones. Among the challenges facing women in technology are gender bias, stereotyping, un-representation, and unequal pay.
Women And Tech - What You Need To Know!
Though it is widely thought that most women just like to be pampered and hate math, are not interested in pursuing a career in coding or any other tech-related career. However, before you generalize things then you should keep in mind that women have been serving in the tech industry for longer than you may know. For starters, Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine could process the algorithm written by Ada Lovelace in the 1840s, and she was considered the world’s first computer programmer. The first compiler was invented by Grace Hopper, a pioneer of computer programming who translated high-level programming languages into machine code. Hopper also introduced the term “debugging” when she removed an actual bug from the computer which was a ”Moth”.
Even though these sound inspiring, it is estimated by girls who code that only 24% of the tech industry is run by women and only 7% of the tech startups are founded by women. Take WEDEVX for instance. This tech startup was co-founded by Adina Tilek. This woman is just unstoppable. She followed her passion for tech and now successfully running her startup in the USA.
WEDEVX isn’t just offering its famous SDET training and boot camp but now offering its AI-driven coding platform to make custom development accessible for startups and individuals who want to bring their vision to life such as custom blogs or websites. However, unlike her, a huge number of women often feel underrepresented and there are several challenges that women have to face in this field.
What Are The Challenges Faced by Women in Tech!?
Even with their significant impact on the tech industry, women still encounter many barriers that prevent them from excelling in similar areas as their male counterparts. Among the greatest issues that women in the tech industry have to cope with are gender prejudice, discrimination, absence of representation, false notions, and doubts about their expertise and abilities, difficulties in balancing work and family priorities, and unequal salaries and career prospects.
Gender Bias And Discrimination
The tech industry is plagued by serious issues of gender discrimination and inequality. As the National Center for Women & Information Technology reports, women in IT are more prone to encountering such implicit bias in the form of interruptions and having their ideas downplayed than men in this field. Men are also widely affected by gender stereotypes that impede their careers.
Lack Of Representation And Diversity
This is perhaps one of the major problems that women often encounter. Women often have to face little to no representation and lack variety in tech roles, unlike men. Women consider themselves as the significant minority in tech. They only occupy 24% of the computing workforce as Girls Who Code shows. Such a lower representation can result in the phenomena of isolation and exclusion and prevent career networking and mentoring.
Impostor Syndrome And Self-Doubt
Imposter syndrome is coupled with self-doubt among women and they are one of the main challenges faced by women in tech. A phenomenon called imposter syndrome is when one does not feel worthy of his achievements even when they are considered a reputed and achieving name in the industry. Women in tech are indeed most vulnerable to impostor syndrome because of the tech industry’s male-centricity and the cultural pressures they are subjected to.
Work-Life Balance And Family Responsibilities
Oftentimes times women are subjected to maintaining the work-life balance with their family responsibilities. This is among the major challenges that women have to face in the tech industry. Most women in technical fields confront the dilemma of jumping between tough work schedules and home responsibilities, and this might lead to job burnout and career stagnation.
Pay Gap And Career Advancement Opportunities
Eventually, parity in pay and career progression ranks among the top challenges of gender in tech. The National Women’s Law Center reports that women in the United States earn only $0.82 for every dollar a man earns, and the gender pay gap is wider for women of color. Also, female are often excluded from promotions and leadership positions only because of their gender, although they perform better judging by the lowest common multiple of their qualifications and experience.
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How to Overcome Challenges For Women in Tech
There are several problems that women in tech have to face, there are also several ways to deal with them such as:
Cultivating a Stronger Support System
The creation of a strong support system & network is essential for women in tech. This includes things such as finding similar-spirited individuals who might guide and support you, joining associations, and industry clubs, or attending networking events. Through having a solid support system, women can easily access the means they require to survive and be fruitful in the tech industry. It isn’t just about Tech corporations but the education environment should also foster such an environment like WEDEVX did with their online community. The community is unbiased and helpful to any gender role without any discrimination. They have promoted equal learning and support ever since they started educating.
Guidance and Inspiration
Mentorship and role modeling are vital strategies as far as women in tech are concerned. Mentors can be very useful in supplying necessary advice and guidance while role models can provide motivational company and inspiration. The women in tech may identify their mentors and role models through attending industry conferences, and professional organizations, and or by connecting with people in their fields via networking.
Overcoming Impostor Syndrome
Confidence building and Impostor syndrome fighting is very important in the technology domain for women. This may be characterized by establishing realistic targets, praising oneself for each success, and rewriting the self-harming words. Women can also take career growth workshops, for example, to improve their skills and confidence.
Implementing Equal Pay and Career Paths
Equal pay and opportunities for career progression are other tactics employed by women working in the tech industry. This may entail investigating the range of salaries and benefits within an industry, preparing for negotiations, and asking to be treated reasonably and offered equal opportunities. Women’s voices matter for themselves and their careers in the male-dominated tech industry and they can reduce the gender pay gap by standing up for themselves to negotiate what they are worth.
Work Blanace And Personal Well-Being
Finding the right balance between work and family life is the last technique for women in tech. That may include developing limits, stress-busting mechanisms, and opting for work flexible arrangements. Through engaging in activities that achieve a balance between their professional and personal lives, women can alleviate stress and enjoy a greater sense of accomplishment and contentment. While this may seem overwhelming at the beginning remember why you are doing this.
Take the bright example of Adina Tilek for instance. Apart from being a co-founder of WEDEVX tech startup, she is also a mother and a wife. Though she has her fair share of struggle throughout her journey her success story is a clear indication that one shouldn’t let such a hurdle come in its way. No, it doesn’t mean that these problems shouldn’t be addressed yet again finding the right balance as an individual is crucial. You should check her Instagram Adina Tilek for inspiration.
Inspiring Story Of Adina Tilek
adina tilek
Adina has been living in the United States for over 12 years. She is a dedicated mother of two sons and the co-founder of WEDEVX. Armed with an educational background in economics and finance, she initially pursued a career in real estate. However, fueled by a newfound passion for technology, Adina started her journey in IT after joining a tech bootcamp.
Through unwavering determination and hard work, Adina garnered multiple job offers and eventually ascended to the role of QA manager at an exciting IT startup. Alongside her husband Askar, she founded WEDEVX aiming to help individuals secure their first IT job in the English-speaking market at an impressive $100,000+ a year, even without prior technical experience.
Adina, educated in economics and finance, transitioned from real estate to IT through a tech bootcamp. Her success story is a testament to the belief that a university’s technical education or mathematical genius is not a prerequisite for a career in IT. Adina is passionate about dispelling the myth that 90% of WEDEVX graduates, who undergo a 6-month program, had no prior IT skills. You can inspire more by following her on Instagram and Linkedin
Conclusion
The technological landscape is evolving and it sure is transforming our lives. However, this shouldn’t be inclusive for anyone. Whether it’s a man or woman, everyone should be allowed to pursue their passion for the tech industry. They should be allowed to show the world their vision and their voices should be heard. Women have impeccable talent and remarkable history and are present in the tech industry from YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki to Adina Tilek at WEDEVX, there are several inspirations for women who want to break that barrier and want to prove to the world their talent and love for tech. We need to create and foster an environment where women or any gender shouldn’t feel minority and their voices should be heard along with the elimination of the pay gap. Everyone should be paid for the amount of work instead of their gender. This is the only way to improve the environment of the IT industry for everyone.
