Grab a coffee and a biscuit, this is a long one!

I have been a ‘woman in tech’ for 15 years in a variety of roles and organisations and in that period I have been lucky to have met and been supported by wonderful managers and have had the chance to work with some amazing fellow women (and men!) in tech. But the fact remains – women are still under-represented in the IT industry as a whole and the Tech Industry often carries misconceptions as to who it consists of with the stereotype being geeky introverts and mainly male.

But the reality really is quite different – the IT industry and particularly the world of Microsoft partners, the Microsoft Community and those working within Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform is diverse, global and full of individuals from different backgrounds and age groups.

It’s still happening

There are myths that deter women from joining (and staying) within the IT Industry when they really are not true at all. I was able to speak about this recently when I did a session on this topic at the London UK Dynamics 365 and Power Platform User Groups (presentation slides here if anyone needs them) and we all gasped with disbelief when a member of the audience shared the story of how his daughter was discouraged from a career in Technology by no other than her school career councellor just 18 months ago because ‘technology is more suited to men’ even though the relevant questionnaires had suggested a career in technology was the best fit for her. I don’t know about you, but for me hearing this, it was utterly heartbreaking.

The Myths

The above shows myths/misconceptions about the Tech Industry are alive and well and causing much damage on a daily basis. So lets go through the main ones and put facts against Myths:

1. Tech is for Men
   • Tech is not for men right now but more importantly it has never been something just men did, ever! Ada Lovelace (world’s first computer programmer), Sister Mary Kenneth Keller (a nun, but also the first person to earn a PhD in Computer Science), Margaret Hamilton (her code took humanity to the moon), Katherine Johnson (mission to Mars, known as the human computer). The list is long. We have always been there. Next.
2. Lack of Role Models
   • There are 35 female Microsoft MVPs in the UK. Don’t get me wrong, the number should be higher but that’s 35 role models right there. If you need names, here are the ones I’ve met that are awesome: Tricia Sinclair, Zoe Wilson, Alison Mulligan, Nikki Chapple, Sara Fennah, Laura Graham-Brown. Role models galore!
3. It’s all about Code
   • This one goes hand in hand with the ‘you need a computer science degree’ myth for me. It’s not all about code, you don’t need to know code at all to work in this industry (e.g. project managers, scrum masters, me!) and you don’t need a degree either (in computer science or otherwise, also me!). That said – don’t let the idea of coding scare you. Give it a go and if you don’t like it, don’t do it. But don’t dismiss it purely out of fear.
4. Lack of Skills
   • Working in IT doesn’t just require hard skills, it also requires vital soft (people!) skills. Skills that women are very good at – attention to detail, collaboration, problem solving, adaptability, resilience, a different perspective. Women have a lot of skills to offer.
5. Lack of Interest
   • This is a quick one. There’s this idea that women are not interested in Tech or Tech is not interesting to them or we would rather bake cookies. We are interested. It is interesting. AI robots can make cookies. The end.
6. Impostor Syndrome
   • I firmly believe everyone has that ‘I’m a Fraud!’ feeling, just to varying degrees, some people are crippled by it, some only get it occassionally. We often ask ‘why would I be capable of XYZ’ – turn it around, why NOT you? If we really think about it, there’s rarely, if ever, a good answer to that. As Henry Ford famously said ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right’.
7. Family-Work Balance
   • There is absolutely no reason why you can’t have a good work-life/family-work balance while working in Tech. Don’t assume you can’t, ask for what you need – flexible hours? Part time role? Remote working? If you don’t ask, the possibilities are 0. If you do ask, more than 0! Also don’t sacrifice your family for work – you won’t lie on your death bed wishing you had sent one more work email and the people who will remember how hard you worked in 20 years time will be your family and friends thinking of all the things you missed.
8. Unattractive Culture
   • Yes there is a lot of video games and Lego in the Tech industry but there’s no reason we can’t love/talk about those things and Taylor Swift simultaneously. You get the point – everything is welcome, we don’t sit around talking about the Premier League all day.
9. Hostile Working Environment
   • Stories of discrimination and harassment have contributed to the feeling of a hostile environment for women (I would argue in all industries, not just Tech) – however all workplaces should be respectful and inclusive to all. It’s a zero tolerance policy, if you experience anything different, report it.

The Reasons They Leave

So getting into the industry is one thing, but staying is another. The Tech Talent Charter have done extensive research on this and in March 2023 published their findings, a summary of which you can find here. In short, women leave the industry because of things that are very fixable:

• Career Progression
• Pay & Remuneration
• Cost of Living Crisis and Childcare
• Work-Life Balance
• A need for flexibility
• Company Culture

It’s important to note that different things matter to people at different stages of their lives. 18-24? Work-life balance. 25-34? Salary. 35-44? Work-life balance. 45-54? Career Progression. 55+? Non-salary benefits.

So What Do We Do?

In terms of the myths, we keep talking about it, we keep setting the record straight. We keep encouraging young girls and women and anyone else who is interested in the industry to join the industry. We make a conscious effort to welcome and include everyone, every time. We listen to Taylor Swift! Tech/IT is an incredibly exciting and ever-changing industry but it will never achieve its full potential without diverse teams.

In terms of retention – we support and mentor women, we offer them opportunities to progress their career, we don’t make assumptions. And as organisations we shout loud and clear about what we offer for women, we ensure we are offering something for women (!), we ensure women are equally paid (why is this still not happening!). We have so much work to do.