Praised for its relentless evolution, the tech industry still hesitates to evolve where it matters most: sorting out the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions.
With over a decade of experience in recruiting IT leaders and mentoring countless women, including with my own AQ Women in Tech network composed of around 250 women, I’ve seen firsthand the barriers they face and the strategies that can help overcome them.
Namely, tech companies must focus on increasing the number of female STEM graduates, building strong networks of female mentors, embracing inclusive hiring practices, fostering a flexible work culture, and breaking down the remnants of the “old boys club”.
Encouraging more women to pursue STEM careers
The foundation for achieving gender balance in tech leadership lies in education. Unfortunately, the proportion of women pursuing degrees in STEM fields is still significantly lower than that of men, directly affecting the availability of female talent in the tech industry.
Companies can help address this issue by collaborating with educational institutions to inspire more women to choose STEM pathways. Initiatives such as scholarships, internships, and outreach programs can play an essential role in showing young women the opportunities that tech careers can offer.
Establishing supportive networks for women in tech
Once women enter the tech industry, they need access to resources that can help them navigate their careers. Creating networks of female mentors and role models is essential.
Women who have successfully built careers in tech can offer invaluable guidance and support to those who are just starting out. Companies should prioritise the creation and maintenance of these networks, providing platforms for mentorship, networking events, and recognition of women’s achievements.
The power of representation can also not be underestimated – it has an incredible impact on the education and career choices each of us makes.
This is an ongoing challenge in STEM – and something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A persistent lack of female role models reinforces the outdated perception that technology is a male dominated field, and not something women should consider or pursue. The sector’s gender representation does not improve, and the cycle continues.
At the AQ Women in Tech Network I set up, I’ve always been mindful not to turn it into an overtly promotional space. We don’t invite any salespeople, and we don’t ask for sponsorship. Each event is free and open to everybody. They’re really designed to be a safe space where women can give and seek advice and create positive networks within their sector and beyond.
To bring about real change, we must support and develop the talented women already in the sector to progress and achieve their leadership ambitions – then champion them far and wide to inspire our youngest generations of women to enter the profession and then go on themselves to seek leadership roles.
Implementing fair and inclusive hiring practices
To ensure that more women reach senior roles, companies must adopt unbiased hiring and promotion practices.
At Anderson Quigley we work with organisations across the public sector, appointing talented leaders to drive their missions forward.
Ensuring an unbiased hiring process is a key element of our support for clients. We work with each organisation to examine their processes and ensure the language in job adverts is neutral, men and women are considered equally in HR policies, and flexible modes of working are offered wherever possible to ensure the widest candidate pool.
We often take a blind recruitment approach, removing gender-specific language and any other identifying details from CVs and applications. It helps the client to evaluate people on their skills and experience, instead of other factors that can lead to biassed decisions.
Embracing a flexible work environment
The tech industry is well-positioned to lead the way in creating flexible work environments that benefit everyone, especially women. Offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work and adaptable hours, can help women manage both their professional and personal responsibilities without sacrificing career growth.
This is particularly relevant for roles in high demand, such as security, data, and analytics, which lend themselves well to remote work. The flexibilities inherent in these roles can reveal a whole hidden market of women for firms to tap into too.
Challenging Outdated Cultures
Finally, real progress in gender equality requires tech companies to challenge and dismantle the “Old Boys Club” mentality that persists in some organisations. We need to create spaces where all voices are encouraged, and different experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints are respected.
Organisations can take meaningful steps to cultivate this environment. This includes transparency in gender diversity efforts, along with setting and tracking measurable goals, which can help hold companies accountable for their progress.
Leadership also plays a key role in this transformation by championing inclusivity and setting an example for the entire organisation.
Conclusion
Advancing women into senior roles within the tech sector is not only a matter of fairness but also a business necessity. Diverse leadership teams are better equipped to drive innovation, make informed decisions, and understand the needs of their customers.
There have been encouraging signs of progress recently, such as improved general awareness about the menopause and better parental leave policies which are allowing more women to rejoin the skilled workforce. Media attention on these issues is also going in the right direction. We need to keep pushing for change, so that in 2034 we are not having the same discussion as today.
About the Author
Grace Tattersall is Partner at Anderson Quigley. We build better leaders for a better society. AQ are industry experts with decades of experience in public sector executive search, interim management and advisory. Driven by our core values, integrity, diversity and hands on project ownership, we bring our expertise to bear for organisations that focus on society and social development, delivering leadership recruitment in higher education, schools, healthcare, charities, social care, housing, cultural organisations, the arts and government.
