Let’s raise a toast to the rising power of women in information technology

The information technology industry has witnessed a steady rise of women workforce over the years.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) recently announced that it now employs more than 2,00,000 women in different roles across the organisation. This is being considered as a significant feat in the diversity journey of the organisation.

As the IT industry grows, so will opportunities for everyone – including women, who often do not have the same opportunities available to them in an arguably male-dominated field.

The boardrooms of all the IT majors have been abuzz with the talks of diversity, inclusion and equality over the years. There is a widespread recognition that it leads to better productivity and women have made this possible with the hard and a consistent approach to work.

Women are still under-represented in technology

While this is true that technology has no gender and yet we cannot deny that women are under-represented in this field. Kaspersky’s 2021 “Women in Tech” report shows that despite the opportunity to use problem-solving skills (44 per cent) or to work in a well-paid profession (40 per cent), the majority of women in the sector are yet to get their due.

Most of the women surveyed admitted that they needed to work harder than their male peers to establish their value (78 per cent). Meanwhile, 39 per cent of women in tech pointed out that gender prejudice is a barrier that they have to negotiate every day at the work place.

Up to 78 per cent of the respondents believe organisations should promote more women to senior roles while also considering mentorship opportunities, flexible working hours, and equal maternity and paternity leave.

The report also found that gender-diverse teams can be more efficient and are capable of making critical choices twice as fast and in half the time.

Plenty of opportunities waiting to be tapped

Many industry experts believe that there are plenty of opportunities such as product management, project management, UX design, support, and training where women can demonstrate their abilities. It’s also important to highlight that soft skills such as collaboration, communication, and customer skills are key to a variety of tech roles in addition to mathematics and logical reasoning. This opens up a whole new world of opportunities for women in the information technology sector.