By 2026, Deloitte’s Digital Pulse Report forecasts that there will be over 1.1 million technology workers in Australia, representing an average annual growth rate of 5.4%. There is already a significant skills shortage in the Australian tech workforce, so increasing female participation — which is already low — would not only expand the talent pool but help address the increasing skills gap. However, with women leaving high-tech jobs at twice the rate of men, there’s a danger that tech’s skills shortage could worsen without some serious self-assessment from within the sector.
I frequently hear women talk about how they have to deal with a hostile “bro-culture” common in many companies in the tech sector. This pervasive environment, which can manifest as overt or unconscious, I believe, is a leading cause of women leaving the industry.
One theory is that tech startups begin with a core of young, like-minded male employees who recruit from their existing networks. They are more focused on growing their business than employment policies so by the time they add an HR department, the “boys being boys” culture is ingrained, and difficult to change.
My own conversations with women in tech uphold this theory. Many women say that the environment is set up in a way they feel they can’t be themselves and still be in the mix. For example, after work beers and pizzas are the norm in the tech world; it is where many of the conversations and deals are made. However, for women with kids this is not a viable option, so they are not involved in the conversation. Women say that they must change their whole persona to fit in and succeed in the tech world.
Continue reading: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/opinion/women-tech-bro-culture-gender-diversity/
I frequently hear women talk about how they have to deal with a hostile “bro-culture” common in many companies in the tech sector. This pervasive environment, which can manifest as overt or unconscious, I believe, is a leading cause of women leaving the industry.
One theory is that tech startups begin with a core of young, like-minded male employees who recruit from their existing networks. They are more focused on growing their business than employment policies so by the time they add an HR department, the “boys being boys” culture is ingrained, and difficult to change.
My own conversations with women in tech uphold this theory. Many women say that the environment is set up in a way they feel they can’t be themselves and still be in the mix. For example, after work beers and pizzas are the norm in the tech world; it is where many of the conversations and deals are made. However, for women with kids this is not a viable option, so they are not involved in the conversation. Women say that they must change their whole persona to fit in and succeed in the tech world.
Continue reading: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/opinion/women-tech-bro-culture-gender-diversity/
