{"id":33849,"date":"2020-03-02T07:18:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T12:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=33849"},"modified":"2022-08-05T06:17:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T10:17:34","slug":"women-tech-holding-back","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/women-tech-holding-back\/33849\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s limiting women in tech? You’ve missed one big thing."},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few people of global renown from the <\/a>small town<\/a> I grew up in<\/a><\/u>, in rural New Zealand. Arguably, there is only one \u2013 astronomer and cosmologist Beatrice Tinsley<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

Although she studied at the same high school as me \u2013 known locally as the top choice for academic girls \u2013 I was never told of her. Nor could I find any former school friends, or girls who study there today, who know her name.<\/p>\n

I only found out about her in 2016 thanks to the Google Doodle celebrating Beatrice Tinsley\u2019s 75th birthday<\/a><\/u>. Her pioneering work on measuring distance in space, how stars age and the expansion of the universe has been called \u2018paradigm changing\u2019 by fellow astronomers<\/a><\/u>. There are even a Mount Tinsley<\/a><\/u> and a minor planet, Beatrice Tinsley<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

What does a missing mention mean?<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t know how to explain why Beatrice Tinsley\u2019s achievements never rated a mention when I was growing up, and appear not to rate one today, for young women treading the same ground she once did.<\/p>\n

In recent years, there\u2019s greater awareness of specific actions that alienate women in the workplace, like sexual harassment<\/a><\/u> or colleagues displaying sexualized images of women<\/a><\/u>. But reflecting on the lack of \u2018Beatrice Tinsleys\u2019 in my upbringing makes me wonder if we\u2019ve missed something that could be at the heart of why women leave science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers in high numbers<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps a lot of women leave tech careers because of a lack of acknowledgment, support and recognition from those closest.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why do we even need more women in tech?<\/h2>\n

When it comes to science and tech, the consequences of not appointing, promoting and retaining the best people should concern us all. Humankind is failing to innovate at the speed we could. It probably costs lives. There\u2019s also mounting evidence gender and racially diverse companies are more profitable<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

Recruiting and retaining more women in any career can mean a fairer work-life for men too. For reasons like the higher proportion of women who have unpaid care responsibilities<\/a><\/u>, women are more affected (on average) by workplace policy or behavior that negatively affects everyone. For example, long hours culture, lack of flexible working for no good reason or when those who get promoted are those who go out drinking with colleagues<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

Where is the talent pipeline leaking?<\/h2>\n

The supply of talented women isn\u2019t the main issue. UNESCO reports that globally, women now make up more than half of STEM undergraduate and Masters students<\/a><\/u>. While there\u2019s clear evidence of gender bias in hiring<\/a><\/u>, the career pipeline gets even leakier later. US data, for example, show after 12 years, 50 percent of women had left their STEM career<\/a>s,<\/u> but just 20 percent had left other careers.<\/p>\n

This means the biggest problem behind the smaller number of women in tech is in women\u2019s experience of work in tech.<\/p>\n

The Central Asian anomaly<\/h2>\n

Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden consistently top the World Economic Forum\u2019s index of the world\u2019s most gender-equal countries<\/a><\/u>. You might expect these countries would have the most women in non-stereotypically female careers, like STEM.<\/p>\n

But you\u2019d be mistaken. UNESCO found that it\u2019s Central Asia <\/a>(Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), where we see the highest proportion of women in STEM<\/u>, at 46 percent. The same report shows countries like Sri Lanka (37 percent), Turkey (36 percent) and Pakistan (27 percent) easily outshine the US, where just 20 percent of the STEM workforce are women.<\/p>\n

This anomaly is called the gender-equality paradox<\/a><\/u>: Where gender equality is best, there are fewer women in tech. It\u2019s thought to be related to evidence that shows women and girls avoid pursuing careers they perceive as discriminatory<\/a><\/u>. However, many countries with high numbers of women in tech have high levels of income insecurity<\/a><\/u>, meaning women are under stronger economic pressure to choose a career that promises reliable earnings.<\/p>\n

This theory could explain why fewer women and girls might study STEM in countries with better income security, but it doesn\u2019t tell why so many leave the career.<\/p>\n

What makes or breaks a career in tech?<\/h2>\n

India is one country with relatively high numbers of women in tech (one in every three people in IT in India are women<\/a><\/u>). Looking to explain this, researchers have pointed to how many women in the Indian IT industry say their families strongly support their careers<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

Are they right to think this matters? It seems so. One study of gifted math and science students from the US Midwest<\/a><\/u> found \u201csocial support contributed directly to men\u2019s and women\u2019s ability to envision themselves in a future science career, which, in turn, predicted their interest in and motivation for a science career.\u201d Another study of nearly 1,000 Chinese college graduates<\/a><\/u> found links between graduates\u2019 levels of social support and their career adaptability.<\/p>\n

\"women<\/p>\n

If a lack of social support for women\u2019s careers in science and tech is a factor in women leaving STEM careers, we\u2019d expect to see differences in how much families and communities support men and women in STEM.<\/p>\n

The evidence is there when it comes to young people. Take this four-year Australian longitudinal study of school students and their parents<\/a><\/u>. Researchers found that for students who wanted to go into STEM fields, more parents of sons than daughters wanted their child to attend university, and even when parents were supportive, \u201cthere was little evidence \u2026 girls were encouraged to pursue STEM.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parents know they have a bias \u2013 some 52 percent of parents and 57 percent of teachers admit to gender-stereotyped thinking about STEM careers<\/a><\/u> according to research by Accenture. Although there doesn\u2019t appear to be any comprehensive research in this area yet, this gendered support difference probably extends into adult life.<\/p>\n

What can business leaders do?<\/h2>\n

Knowing family and community support is crucial to keeping women in tech careers is useful if your young daughter talks about going into game design, but how can tech company business leaders use this knowledge to keep more women in their organization?<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Understand women and men want to work in tech for the same reasons<\/h3>\n

Despite women in IT reporting more workplace isolation and bias<\/a><\/u> than women in other sectors, they speak highly of the career and enjoy their work for similar reasons to their male colleagues. Kaspersky\u2019s 2018 survey of 5,000 IT professionals in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain<\/a><\/u> found women and men gave similar top advantages for their career \u2013 excitement, good pay and opportunities to problem-solve. They described their career as \u2018collaborative,\u2019 \u2018stimulating\u2019 and \u2018helpful\u2019 in roughly equal numbers.<\/p>\n

As a woman in cybersecurity, I\u2019m happy. I\u2019m challenged by my role, compelled to be better every single day, as are my male colleagues.<\/p>\n

Daniela Alvarez de Lugo<\/strong><\/p>

General Manager for North Latin America, Kaspersky<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

2.\u00a0 Improve your workplace culture for all<\/h3>\n

Williams, Phillips and Hall\u2019s 2015 research involving 557 US women in STEM identified five biases pushing women out of the STEM workplace<\/a><\/u>. As well as common issues, like being assumed incompetent unless (constantly) proven otherwise, around one-third of women said they felt isolated and excluded at work.<\/p>\n

Business leaders have the power to control their workplace culture, but must be evidence-informed in their problem-solving. After-hours functions or work sports teams, for example, might add to an employee\u2019s feelings of isolation if they can\u2019t attend because of care responsibilities \u2013 which in many cultures will impact women more than men. The simplest things may make the most difference, like taking the time to ask about someone\u2019s day or using physical space to encourage more interaction<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Offer gender, bias and sexual harassment prevention training<\/h3>\n

Williams, Phillips and Hall\u2019s study found up to 4 in 5 women had experienced sexism in their tech careers. With a problem of that scale, you\u2019d expect good awareness of sexism among men in tech. But a New Zealand survey of over a thousand small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in 2019 found men in tech thought women in tech faced far fewer barriers than women reported<\/a><\/u>. They underestimated barriers women reported by a third to a half.<\/p>\n

In other words, imagine James and Jolanda are equestrian showjumpers. If you ask James the height of Jolanda\u2019s fences, he\u2019ll report they\u2019re half to two-thirds as high as what Jolanda experiences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Leaders can also act to improve awareness of sexism in their workplace. A 2015 study of around 1,000 men and women in several countries found a strong correlation between comprehensive gender, bias and sexual harassment prevention training and declining rates of discrimination<\/a><\/u> and harassment in the workplace.<\/p>\n

How much do \u2018Beatrice Tinsleys\u2019 really matter?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve ever gazed into the night sky and wondered whether it goes on forever, you now know it was Beatrice Tinsley who found the answer.<\/p>\n

For many of us, it\u2019s a fun fact, but for a girl from my hometown, it means someone like her can change the way we understand the universe.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Building the groundswell of support for women in science and tech starts at home, but further down the line, everyone can make a difference. Our focus should be on how women experience the workplace. Educating the workforce about gender bias and improving workplace culture could not only retain more women in tech but make business more profitable and make work life better for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recent years we\u2019ve come to understand diversity in tech is an economic boon. But to retain and promote more women, we must go beyond conventional wisdom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2552,"featured_media":33850,"template":"","coauthors":[3673],"class_list":{"0":"post-33849","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-women-and-diversity","7":"emagazine-tag-careers","8":"emagazine-tag-diversity","9":"emagazine-tag-future-of-work","10":"emagazine-tag-professional-advice","11":"emagazine-tag-women"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/women-tech-holding-back\/33849\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/women-tech-holding-back\/21741\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/women-tech-holding-back\/20070\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/33849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=33849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}