What do you think when you think about the future? Do you imagine a weekend in five stars hotel on Mars? A humanoid domestic robot that tidies up your flat and walks your dog? Pills of immortality you take every morning before teleportation to the office?
Sounds great! But we think about something more realistic: we dream about female python developers and data analysts, about women leading tech companies and start-ups on an equal footing with men. We believe women could make a huge contribution to IT professions, and a slowly but constantly increasing number of ladies working in tech confirms that.
Like many other things, gender inequality in tech jobs begins in school. The exact sciences are considered the men’s territory, so teachers usually do not encourage girls to study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. Even though no scientific proof exists that women have fewer mathematical skills than men, this stereotype is very pervasive. Therefore, only 16% of females have suggested a tech career compared to 33% of males. But the number of women who have chosen a career in technology from the outset is frustrating; it is only 3%.
Women in the IT industry
According to Statista, less than 25% of women work in tech positions in 5 major tech companies called GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft).
Google – 23%
Apple – 23%
Facebook – 23%
Microsoft – 20%
Moreover, TrustRadius reports that 72% of women in tech experienced persuasive “bro culture” compared to 41% of men, who say the same. It shows how differently we perceive the situation. As a result, only 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women.
The IT industry, traditionally dominated by men, is growing extremely fast, especially now, in the COVID-19 pandemic times. There is a huge demand for tech specialists at all levels, and every good IT recruiter knows how difficult it could be to find the right candidate that really suits the position. How many of the candidates are women? Sadly, very few. Yet we do believe that women may and should fill this gap! They just need the support of like-minded people to feel more confident.
If you are interested in the IT-sphere but doubt you have a talent for it, or you are too old to change profession, or you simply think it’s not for women, you are totally wrong! Aj Ty v IT is a civic association that helps women of any age discover the magic of technology and fall in love with IT. Their educational programs and workshops inspire girls and women for their future careers and encourage them to enter the tech workforce. It doesn’t matter how old you are, which working background you have (if you have one), or which grades in math you had in school.
Discover more about Aj Ty v IT programs and choose a workshop or course that you like!
Join the community of incredible, brave, and purposeful women, and let yourself become whoever you want to be!
Written by, Lidia Samsonova-Zharkova