Simply hiring more women will not solve the problem
The significant underrepresentation of women within the tech sector is impacting the functionality of businesses in Singapore and across the globe.
Despite positive moves to implement effective solutions that will bridge both gender diversity and skills gap, women are still struggling to break the glass ceiling and challenge for high-profile roles in this industry.
The representation of women in the boardroom
Introducing more female talent to the tech sector has seen significant industry-wide improvements.
A study from the Peterson Institute of International Economics found that organisations with greater gender diversity are actually more profitable.
This concludes that gender diversity enhances work-place performance and increases the rate of success.
However, in spite of this positive outlook, there is still a noticeable underrepresentation of women across the wider tech sector.
Globally, less than one in 10 women work as a developer. A startling figure that only further sparks the argument surrounding gender bias within IT.
Singapore has been identified as a global leader in the IT industry.
Quick to adopt the newest technological trends, the Lion City is a thriving base for startups looking to grow their profit and productivity.
19 per cent of these startups are founded by women — which you might think would translate to a high number of female CEOs running the show.
This, unfortunately, isn’t the case as only 12 per cent of C-suite roles across the South East Asia tech scene are held by women.
Start your battle against gender diversity
Finding the perfect solution to gender diversity is not something businesses have the capacity to come up with overnight.
You can’t simply hire more women to close the deficit as this will continue to increase the problem and only further dilute the sector.
Research indicates that worldwide, 41 per cent of women are twice as likely to quit their role within the tech sector compared to only 17 per cent of men, a number that only further depletes the handful of new developers choosing to stick out a career in IT.
For female developers who want to make it to the top of the career ladder, it can be very difficult in a male-dominated sector.
Every developer across the industry will have similar skills and expertise, but there is an unconscious bias against women; a well-known stigma that needs to be removed from the industry.
Also Read: To fix the gender divide, the crypto world needs more female heroes to look up to
Recent reports have identified that one of four science and tech professionals in Singapore are female, with the number of those working in the IT sector growing by only 10 per cent since 2011.
These figures further highlight the fact that the tech sector remains a ‘boys club,’ and for that categorisation to be removed, the entire industry needs to perform a massive U-turn to help fix this age-old problem.
Bridge the skills gap and you could solve both issues
For a conclusive solution that can solve both problems, the global IT industry needs to rethink its outlook.
Only after these discussions happen and businesses are equipped with the plans to face the gender gap problem, will they then be able to bridge the skills gap.
Sadly, businesses won’t be able to pick the best solution out of thin air.
Although hiring more women seems to be the simple answer to the predicament of both problems, it will only add to the mass exodus of women leaving the sector.
That is unless organizations can up come with a positive solution.
Also Read: Women in tech, and a competitive advantage
To overcome the gap of gender diversity, women working in the Singapore business sector have rallied around each other to launch women-focused workspaces and training opportunities in an attempt to remove the statistical anomaly of female professionals in IT.
The path to encourage women and young girls into IT needs to begin much earlier.
STEM subjects within Singapore have been placed at the top of the priorities list by educational establishments and the government as they help provide economic growth and technological development throughout the country.
But with Microsoft research identifying that post “16 STEM subjects suffer from a considerable gender imbalance”, it only provides a small window of opportunity between the ages of 11-16 for parents and teachers to influence the decision-making process.
There needs to be a more comprehensive offering of STEM subjects in school, as well as more inspirational talks and extra-curricular activities providing guidance on the route of a successful tech career and the benefits of working in the sector.
Businesses also need to set an example; they might already have women in high-powered roles, so they should promote their success and give them the recognition they deserve on visible platforms.
The more top-performing IT professionals young girls see, the more likely they are to aspire and apply for similar roles.
Working together, this industry has the chance to alter the trajectory of women entering the sector, promoting it as inclusive for everyone.
By solving this part of the problem first, we can effectively narrow the skills gap and shed a more favourable light on the sector from which all businesses can experience benefits.
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