We hear the phrase ‘women in tech,’ quite often in the working world, yet not all women in tech appreciate this phrase. Many feel it is yet another label that entrenches the gap between men and women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) industries. Despite this sentiment, the statistics regarding women in such industries, particularly in relation to senior and leadership positions, indicate that there is still much work to be done to achieve equality and diversity in traditionally male-dominated spheres.
According to the Women in Tech ZA report released in August 2022, only 23% of the tech jobs in our country are held by women. This means that out of the 236 000 technology jobs in South Africa, only 56 000 are not held by men. The question we need to ask ourselves is “why?”. With influential initiatives like GirlCode and Women In Tech ZA and various groups targeted at women in this industry on LinkedIn – why is there still such a large gap?
Diversity and inclusivity is essential, not optional
I believe we have to start by examining the importance of gender diversity, and considering why it is so important for women to ‘have a seat at the table’. Personally, I feel the answer is straightforward. Diversity and inclusivity in the workplace should be a top priority; something we’re constantly striving toward because we want to align our workplaces with an accurate visual representation of our country.
Inclusivity starts at an education level
How do we achieve this? We’d have to start at the beginning – primary school education. According to the Mail & Guardian, only 38% of ICT graduates are women and despite the fact that this is 8% higher than the global average, it’s clear that we can and should be aiming higher. There is still much growth and development needed to eliminate gender disparity in this industry. Having said that, I do believe that interest in ICT-based careers is steadily climbing for female students, which is visible through the growth of tech grad programs. With initiatives such asAfrican Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) we’re definitely headed in the right direction. The AGCCI recently enrolled 40 girls from public schools into their program, which focuses on inspiring and empowering young girls to code and introduces them to the likes of robotics, and skills in other emerging technologies.
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