Women in the IT industry

What does it mean to achieve balance in human teams within organizations? The truth is that diversity should be part of the DNA of any nation and, in particular, should be a basic objective related to the organizational cultures of the 21st century. So, why is it so difficult for us to advance in this field and in sectors, for example, such as technology?

A recent 2021 survey by the consulting firm Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO found that just 11% of senior leaders in the tech industry are women, while the female workforce makes up just a fifth of tech teams. YOU. These figures show the gaps that we are experiencing today, a situation that is the opposite as it is a sector that has precisely been characterized by being disruptive, by producing important changes at a social level. Technology is synonymous with new paradigms and this is where it is necessary to promote greater coherence around diversity in all its forms as a key attribute of differentiation and competitiveness.

The technology industry is and will be key to the growth of countries. Today more than ever new talents are required and it is women who can provide new ideas, concepts and points of view that in other contexts have been very successfully integrated into the creativity and capacity of men. Without a doubt, creativity has no gender. In just a few years we have seen a relevant irruption of women in the cinema and in politics, as well as movements that had not been seen since the 1915 suffrage demonstrations in New York City. We have made progress, but today public policies and cultural changes are required to promote access to spaces under equal conditions for both male and female genders.

The technological sector is changing and from its beginnings it had important precursors. Ada Lovelace is considered the mother of programming, since she developed the first algorithm in history. Hedy Lamar was a major Hollywood actress in the 1940s, while for the rest of her life she worked on major breakthroughs. She is considered by many experts to be the person who paved the way for wireless communications. And Frances Allen, since she joined IBM in 1957, today is listed as one of the pioneers in the field of automation. She was even the first woman to receive the prestigious Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery.

Today we are inserted in a technology industry that requires the incorporation of new learning. Little by little we have been adding a holistic vision of the world around us, although that point of view has to expand towards greater diversity. Commemorating women in the month of March should not be just a reason for greetings or recognition, but rather a priority call to action. This means promoting guidelines and policies, as well as training spaces for women, both in small, medium and large companies. Even from early childhood through cognitive reinforcement and discourse that makes the female gender visible from a perspective of greater empowerment and with concrete examples of their achievements, at different stages of history.

Being a woman in the tech world has been a host of great satisfactions, but I am also aware of the gaps that have gradually narrowed. It is key to promote changes that are lasting and on instances of collaboration where men and women are seen and treated as real equals, colleagues dedicated to solving new challenges. Women are indispensable for the technology sector and any other. We are engines that have contributed to the development of innovations that have changed the life of society in general. The goal is that we have to believe in ourselves more, that is, to be really convinced of our abilities, making them noticeable. For this reason, when we think about the future, in our professional and labor action spaces, let us look without limits and make visible the contributions that we lead and make on a day-to-day basis.

By Lisette Barrios, Financial Manager of NTT