As More Women Forge Paths in Technology, They Must Embrace Growth, Seek Support, Build Resilience, and Ultimately Trust Their Abilities
It’s exciting to see the growing interest among women in exploring and pursuing careers in technology, especially compared to when I first entered the field over 20 years ago. I started as a software developer for a media company, and there weren’t many other women in the same shoes as me at the time. I had to learn, test boundaries, and grow over the years to become CEO of R Systems’ European operations.
My experience has taught me that building a successful career in the technology industry requires dedication, confidence, and a willingness to learn from new experiences and others. That’s why I love encouraging women who may want to follow in my footsteps or chart their own path in the technology industry to always seek growth opportunities, find supportive mentors and allies, build their resilience, and most importantly, trust themselves and their abilities. They belong in the industry and deserve their seat at the table, creating the innovations that will drive our world forward.
Since I joined R Systems nearly 23 years ago, addressing gender bias has been a critical priority for the company. Our team has always aimed to ensure that women have a seat at the table – especially in leadership roles and our projects – making this a key focus for the organization. There are many benefits from having women at the leadership level in our industry. From my experience, women leaders are specifically recognized for creating growth opportunities, offering strong mentorship, and fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for their teams. That leads to increased creativity, productivity, and good customer relationships.
Critical Steps for Tackling Gender Bias in the Technology Industry
Gender bias remains a critical issue in the technology industry and has been since I joined the field more than 20 years ago.
There is still often the tendency to consider women less skilled for technical roles, which is why women feel the need to work more to prove themselves. Organizations must provide clear feedback and recognition for their contributions, ensuring that both their achievements and their peers’ awareness of those accomplishments are amplified.
As a result of this, however, women tend to exclude themselves from growth opportunities. I have seen and experienced firsthand how women often feel the need to prepare more and gather more experience before they ask for promotions.
To help overcome gender bias and the self-perception gaps women face, organizations and managers in the technology industry must:
- Clearly communicate role expectations and have open discussions about where they can enhance their skills or gain new experiences
- Openly encourage women to apply for new positions even if they don’t feel fully there
- Regularly offer mentorship opportunities and training programs so that women can easily obtain new skills and expertise
Each of these steps ensures that an organization benefits from the diversity of perspective, approach, and creativity brought to the teams by including women.
The Need to Strengthen Maternity Leave, Offering A Better Process for Confident Transitions and Returns
Many women are delaying maternity for career progression. However, these do not need to be mutually exclusive. Years ago, we examined maternity leave at R Systems to ensure that our team could help facilitate a seamless transition for women within the organization as they take leave and enable them to effortlessly resume their roles upon their return.
At R Systems, we aim to support women throughout their maternity journey. This involves open discussions about their plans for absence and what they hope to do upon their return. We emphasize timely handovers before maternity leave and maintain continuous communication and dialogue during their absence regarding organizational changes that might affect their roles. Finally, we ensure a gradual integration and handover of responsibilities to be assumed after maternity leave.
I encourage other companies in the technology industry to review their career path, evaluation, and maternity leave processes and assess how these practices affect women in their organizations. This is a critical – and, frankly, straightforward – starting point for companies to ensure that they can continue to benefit from the experience, expertise, and leadership that women bring. More importantly, it helps eliminate biases and barriers that may hinder career growth, ensuring that women not only have a seat at the table but also thrive in their careers.