Women in Technology

March is Women’s History Month and we’re taking a moment to reflect on the contributions and achievements of women in the tech industry but also raise awareness on the gender gaps that women continue to face in representation, wages, and workplace culture. We have posed a question for ourselves as an organization, are we minding the gap – the gender gap?

Current Landscape

Tech roles held by women have increased from 7% to 27% over the last 50 years. During this time, we’ve all experienced major contributions from women such as Mary Wilkes, who developed software for one of the first interactive personal computer systems in 1965, and Adele Goldberg, who had a key role in developing the programming language that later inspired the creation of the first Apple computer. This is only a small sample of the vital work women have contributed over the years. As the tech industry is trending in the right direction with more women entering into tech roles, we beg the question, why aren’t there more women in the tech field, and why is there still a large gender gap?

Minding the Gap

Despite growing numbers, women continue to experience gender gaps and biases that are oftentimes unnoticed by male peers within the workplace. According to a report from TrustRadius, the disparity in female representation in tech can stifle a woman’s potential to excel in the field. For most women working in a male-dominated field, “… it fosters unconscious gender bias in company culture. And it leaves many women without a clear path forward.” By unconsciously stifling women’s opportunity to hold higher-level and -paying jobs as compared to men, it fuels an opportunity gap that leads to a gender wage disparity.

Pay Gap

Despite ongoing efforts to achieve gender wage equality in the tech industry, the issue persists. Women on average, are paid less than their male peers despite having the same experience, roles, location, and education. A report from jobs site Dice reveals that the pay differential, “…transcends regions, states, and occupations. In fact, in some states, the pay differential between men and women exceeds $15,000.” To outline what this means in context, for an in-demand Data Architect role, a woman would earn $13,123 less than her male peers with the same role, level of education, and experience. While the tech industry has made incremental gains to close the gender wage gap, there is still work to be done, and this notion was emphasized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic disproportionately impacted women who had to balance childcare and, in some cases, other family responsibilities while working remotely, thus leading to heightened stress and subsequently… burnout. As a result, many women stepped down from their occupations to care for themselves and children who were learning remotely. A Forbes article notes, “Women in the labor force are at a 33-year low following the pandemic, and as more women choose to re-enter the workforce, many will face an unemployment penalty – a wage cut typically observed when taking absences from work.” As women begin to re-enter the workforce, we have an opportunity to work toward decreasing the gender wage gap.

Workplace Culture Gap

Historically, the tech industry has remained male-dominated with only 25% of women filling professional computing jobs, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). This notion directly correlates to a workplace culture where there may be unconscious bias and less emphasis on gender diversity. In a Pew Research Center survey, women reported a “…need to prove themselves in order to be respected by coworkers, and their belief that, overall, their gender has made it harder for them to succeed at work.” The research underscores an often believed internal rhetoric that women must be twice as good as their peers to succeed. With workplace culture in-mind, we’ve decided to make an organizational shift around four core pillars.

Making an Impact

Here at FSi Strategies, we recognize the importance of closing the gender gap so that we can have a diverse and well-rounded workplace that sparks innovation and forward-thinking.

Culture

We have four pillars that weave together our company culture: Customer Connectedness, Innovation, Learning, and Inclusion. We are dedicated to nurturing an innovative, connected, and inclusive culture rooted in continued education. We also strive to ensure that all of our employees feel valued and appreciated through cultivating a culture where all colleagues feel supported to bring their whole selves to work.

• Customer Connectedness: We genuinely care for our clients and are obsessed with their utmost satisfaction. We seek to understand their pain points and goals, knowing that we would not exist without them.
• Innovation: We believe in continuous experimentation and curiosity. This, in turn, nurtures a growth mindset; we all set out to make today better than the last.
• Learning: To nurture a growth mindset, we believe that learning bolsters and broaden our horizons to think outside the box. We strive towards a “Learn it all” culture rather than being a “Know it all.” We also welcome the idea of failing forward and learning along the way.
• Inclusion: We believe that diversity and inclusion are about listening and empowering all employees to make sure that their voices are heard, understood, and respected.

This Women’s History Month, we’ve been reflective on our fourth core value: inclusion.

“Our best work can only happen if we have an inclusive workplace that enables people to be themselves and bring their whole selves to work and achieve their fullest potential.”- Redha Morsli, President and CEO.

Diversity & Inclusion

We have established a Diversity and Inclusion team with a mission to facilitate company-wide discussions and education regarding the continued growth to becoming the diverse, inclusive culture that we envision. We’re also humbled to share that we have made progress with gender and cultural representation and increased female representation by 25% within the last 18 months. We are on a path to equal representation and realize its importance in the workplace and greater community.

Leveraging the Data

To track our D&I efforts, we have onboarded ADP so that we can stay on top of our inclusion initiative. We plan to leverage the data to make informed decisions regarding hiring, advancement, and representation.

#BreaktheBias #EmbraceEquity

Women’s History Month is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the important contributions women have made and continue to make within the tech industry. It’s an introspective point to revel in the collective progress, but also to highlight that we have a lot of work to do to mind the gender gaps and work towards equal representation, compensation, and inclusion. We’re mindful of the issue and will continue to do our part because it’s simply the right thing to do.