Positively redefine the industry with greater diversity
Although there are many reasons for the lack of equal gender representation in the IT industry, there are two commonly mentioned ones.
The first is that women sometimes adopt the mindset that the field is too complex to enter, while the second is that those already in the industry – usually men – adopt the attitude that the field is too technical for women. However, the ICT space is a broad one, and success is usually built on problem-solving skills. The breadth of the industry means no one need fear its complexity. Women’s unique problem-solving capabilities will stand them in good stead, however technical things become. If we truly seek gender parity, we need to encourage more young girls to study the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects at school level. Furthermore, it’s important that the industry itself puts effort into attracting more women, through programmes such as Wired4Women. Wired4Women is a BCX initiative aiming to devise concrete ways to strengthen the female pipeline for the industry, while raising awareness of the role of women in the ICT sector. Finally, business needs to work alongside the Education Department to help schools more clearly understand exactly what subjects learners require in order to participate in this space.
Women bring a range of critical skills to the table that can be enormously beneficial to a business. For one thing, women tend to be more emotionally aware of surroundings and think collectively and collaboratively, so a key strength lies in diffusing conflicts – which ultimately leads to better, more inclusive solutions.
Fostering a sense of belonging for every-one will lead to greater diversity, and the greater the number of different views you can obtain relating to a specific challenge, the more chance you have of solving it. Moreover, we need to be able to discuss uncomfortable things without getting defensive about them, which is where the collaborative approach comes in.
It’s time for inclusive leadership – we stand at a key inflection point in history, more aware than ever of previous disparities, making this the perfect time for women to make their mark here. This is an industry that touches every facet of the economy and is ingrained in the lives of every citizen. Therefore, if you want to have a genuine impact on society, the IT industry is the ideal place to be.
Editorial credit: IT Web / Brainstorm
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