March is Women’s History Month and a great opportunity to review whether women in technology are being represented.

Statistics reveal that the five largest tech companies in the world (Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon) only have a workforce of around 34.4% women. Women are highly underrepresented in computer-science-related occupations (25% of the total workforce) and software engineering (14% of the total workforce). In fact, the number of women in software engineering jobs has only increased by 2% in the last 21 years. 

Deloitte Global predicts that the situation is improving. “Large global technology firms, on average, will reach nearly 33% overall female representation in their workforces in 2022, up slightly more than 2 percentage points from 2019.” (Deloitte.com)

Why does it matter if women are represented in technology?

This is a fair question!

If the end result is successful, why do we care whether the team includes women?

Diversity amongst teams is extremely beneficial. At Raso, we hope to build teams that represent as many different walks of life as possible, including race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender. By pulling from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, tech teams are able to view situations through different scopes and are more likely to solve problems using fresh and original ideas.

“It seems that the ability to integrate different points of view is what enhances individual creativity. In research by Carmit Tadmor, a Senior Lecturer at the Coller School of Management (Tel Aviv University), bi-cultural individuals who were able to identify with both their home and host cultures showed enhanced creativity. What Tadmor and colleagues found was that these bi-culturals had greater levels of integrative complexity, which is the ability to consider and combine multiple perspectives and points of view.” (Forbes.com)

How can we encourage women in technology?

Provide Role Models

At Raso, we believe that having more women on the technology team encourages diversity throughout the team.

Empower Women

Women in higher-level positions within organizations often face sexism, gender stereotyping and even bullying. A Pew Research study found that 42% of US working women had faced gender discrimination, while 22% of men stated the same.

By providing positive reinforcement and carefully handling necessary criticism, women are more likely to feel comfortable voicing their opinion.

Providing Opportunities for Entry-Level Technologists

Most employers hire solely on prior experience and current competencies. As a result, many recent graduates are overlooked for entry-level positions. Tech companies could hire based on qualities like drive, passion, curiosity, and insight.

At Raso Solutions, we are looking for technologists at all levels to join our team. If you’re interested in seeing our jobs or learning more about our culture, please visit https://jobs.rasosolutions.com