Women at a meeting. Image by Tim Sandle
Continuing our series of articles on women’s careers in technology, to mark International Women’s Day, the topic of education emerges as a pivotal issue.
To advance women in tech, the natural appeal of technology needs to be tapped into early so that young women develop an aspiration to enter the field. This is the opinion of Amanda Rogers, Head of Marketing of Zen Internet.
One myth about women in tech that needs to disappear
Rogers is forthright in her view that women are interest in tech subjects and to argue they are not simply a weak means for justifying discrimination. She says: “One of the biggest myths is that women don’t choose tech because they’re not interested. Many simply don’t see what the opportunities look like or can’t picture themselves in those roles. That’s why visibility, mentoring and programmes like Step into Tech are so important – they make careers in tech feel tangible and accessible.”
Why early intervention with girls matters
Appealing to young women is important for making tech careers more interesting, Rogers advises: “By the time young women are making career decisions, many have already ruled tech out because of outdated stereotypes. Introducing coding and tech skills early, alongside visible female role models, helps break that cycle and creates a much stronger future pipeline of talent.”
One advantage of promoting this early is because: “Young women often don’t realise how broad a career in tech can be. Programmes like Step into Tech are about showing that you don’t have to fit a stereotype to belong in this industry.”
Workplaces, however, need to be reconfigured to make them more attractive to female workers. Rogers recommends: “As AI becomes a bigger part of how tech businesses operate, the way we work is only going to become more outcome-focused and less tied to traditional office structures. That creates a real opportunity to design workplaces that are more inclusive from the outset, but only if women are part of shaping how that future looks.”
Back with the starting early initiative, Rogers says that schools need to be the springboard for promoting women in tech: “Changing how tech is taught in schools is a crucial factor if we’re to close the gender gap across the tech industry. Increasing awareness and sharing the opportunities the sector could offer women will over time help change perceptions. Many tech companies and large employers already have close working relationships with further education establishments, and this is something that should be encouraged, not only to create role models but to provide a means of sharing advice and experiences.”
What initiatives and developments do you participate in to help increase the presence of women on boards in the wider industry?
Rogers concludes with a succinct recommendation for increasing the proportion of women in the tech world: “All of the work I am doing on creating more gender balance in the sector and helping women into leadership roles, forms the foundations required to help women progress to Board positions. It’s important to start with the foundations so there is a talent pipeline coming up through an organisation that aspire to the top seats.”
This was the second of a two-particle article. See also “Women in tech #1: Why organisational cultural change is needed.”
