Need for Men Ally
Are you wondering why I’m talking about this? Well, recently, I was a part of a conversation at the clubhouse and realized the struggle that each woman in tech faces is still a jarring reality, and hence we must talk about it.
We need your support.
Having joined a dominant male industry, I find myself struggling to find my voice during meetings or even conferring my opinions in front of my male peers, mostly the fear that “I’m not smart enough.” creeps in.
We define a “techie” individual as a geeky computer-tinkering male.
The widespread speculation that women aren’t smart enough to be coders or even tech leaders prevents many passionate women from pursuing this field.
Being the only girl in a classroom full of boys is overwhelming. Hence, women are less likely to study STEM subjects.
The competition to continuously prove that you belong is also a hurdle; today, several young girls are not even aware that tech is a field that they can pursue as a career.
A recent survey shows that men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.
Thus we need to change the internal structure/ culture of the industry that forces people out.
Inclusivity is essential.
Even in the 21st century, there is a significant disparity in pay, promotions, or technical roles.
Be it the Gaming or Cyber Security industry, there’s still that stereotype that these domains are men-oriented.
The bias is also visible in women’s roles; less than 10% hold senior positions. Hence, without enough visible role models, most women leave the industry mid-career.
Added to this, the workplace’s obstacles, be it harassment or overlooked for promotions or getting less credit for their contributions, making it challenging to persevere forward in the field.
Thus, three significant difficulties that women face are during :
- recruitment
- retentions
- promotions
Things have become more complicated with the pandemic, increased burnout, furloughed, more responsibilities, and pay cuts.
If you are working in the tech industry, analyze your organization, how many females are senior leaders, how many are managers, how many interns.
This study will help you apprehend that the need to support women is essential. There is a need to ignite an attitude change.
The necessity of a male ally is critical.
The documentary Code: Debugging the Gender Gap describes a male ally as “…a man who will advocate for women even when there are no women in the room.”
Next time, if you see your female colleague struggling or being successful, support her and applause her, brag about her achievements, stop commenting on their appearance. If you see bad behavior, call out.
Stop criticizing your classmates/ colleagues if she gets interview calls from FAANG because they want to increase their female representation, but acknowledge that she is equally talented to get that opportunity. There is no competition. There is enough space for everyone.
So challenge yourself to reduce disparity and gap in the field. With several organizations striving towards increasing awareness among girls in marginalized communities to pursue programming, we must pave the way for the next generations of women to establish themselves in the field.
Small efforts will bring a tremendous difference.
Emma Watson addressed the United Nations in 2014 — “We are struggling for a uniting word but the good news is we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe. I am inviting you to step forward, to be seen to speak up, to be the “he” for “she.” And to ask yourself if not me, who? If not now, when?”
Do you stand with HeforShe?
