The labor market has been going through a true revolution since technological advances became widespread and facilitated access to information and, above all, to awareness.

Furthermore, the behavior of society itself is no longer the same, and some habits that until recently were questionable are nowadays unacceptable. In this context, the women's struggle has grown stronger, and many women have united in pursuit of wage and gender equity, the eradication of harassment, inclusive environments, and various other actions that contribute to female recognition in the corporate scene.

However, in the technology sector, female participation remains minimal. According to data from Microsoft's YouthSpark, only 18% of computer science graduates are female.

Additionally, only 25% of professionals in technical areas of information technology (IT) are women. This rate is significantly lower when compared to the number of female students in universities back in the 1970s.

Another equally alarming statistic is that the number of women seeking relocation in the market exceeds 36,000, according to the Telecentro Association of Information and Business (ATN).

The question on everyone's mind is: if computer science was created and popularized by women, why does so much gender inequality still exist in the labor market?

Cultural influence

Countless myths still alienate women from STEM fields. For instance, cultural stereotypes that still associate females only with caregiving, submission, and teaching roles.

This certainly explains why a large portion of women choose to pursue a career in fields related to humanities and biological sciences; furthermore, recent studies confirm that the environment in which women are immersed directly interferes with their choices.

Moreover, considering that there are numerous obstacles related to gender issues, it is natural for there to be a very evident self-demand among women, as the challenges faced by females to fill a vacancy in a given company are often greater.

A study conducted at Harvard made this point clear when it concluded that women only apply for a tech job when they meet 100% of the requirements. Conversely, men secure jobs with only 60% of the required qualifications met.

5 ways to increase female representation in technological fields

1. Interviews should be based on competence, not gender

As obvious as it seems, it is the role of HR not to make any kind of distinction based on gender. Furthermore, it is necessary to grant opportunities, have zero tolerance for prejudice, and implement a set of actions that boost female representation in the labor market.

2. Giving women a voice is essential

Even when women in tech secure their desired positions, they still have to face a series of conflicts, embarrassment, jokes, and retaliation for being part of male-dominated teams.

In addition, it is also the role of managers, HR, and all leadership not to be complicit and to punish any kind of disrespectful behavior. After all, only with a pleasant and diverse environment can everyone involved have enough motivation to deliver the best results.

3. Driving female development is essential

Often, companies do not have the structure to train and develop their teams internally, but even so, it is possible to create actions focused on professional development, such as negotiating discounts in universities and participating in industry-related events or lectures.

4. Hidden talents also deserve attention!

When we understand that many women choose to pursue careers in human, biological, and health sciences, we need to go further and look carefully at all the hidden talents within companies.

Within companies, there are women passionate about technology, such as writers who love writing articles about programming, customer service agents who are always ready to help solve problems, secretaries who express interest in the subjects... In short, there is a massive amount of hidden programmers who are just waiting for an opportunity to change careers and reach their maximum potential.

5. Encouraging dialogue on the topic is also an incentive

Finally, it is worth noting that you do not necessarily need to own a tech company to encourage women's participation in this market. It is possible to contribute to female representation by talking more about the topic, promoting and participating in collectives, events, and lectures.

This cause is also yours! After all, including women in IT fields is an opportunity to drive a real revolution based on new habits and new perspectives.

So, did you enjoy discovering the role of women in IT roles and how to increase female representation?

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Warm regards, and see you in the next post!