The path to progress for women in tech

“Here’s to strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” – Unknown

 It’s International Women’s Day, an employee-chosen Diversity Day in 2021 for us at Appriss. I’m grateful for a day off with great weather in my local forecast, but more important, for what it represents: Our organization recognizes both the achievements of women and the challenges that continue to stand in the way of true equality.

I’m what you could call a Third Wave Feminist – a Gen X-er who wrote editorials for my college newspaper, dipped my toe in the Riot Grrrl movement, and found inspiration in books like In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development by Carol Gilligan, and Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics, by bell hooks.

From there, my career path as a communications and marketing professional led me into such varied settings as higher education, politics, print and online publishing, human service, and economic development. This is my third stint with a tech company, my second time around with Appriss. Although I’ve not worked in a true tech role, I was drawn into this field, and back to a company I love, by the fast pace and innovation that it provides.

I’m at a point that some might generously call late mid-career. And having worked in a whole slew of fields, I’ve come to believe that tech is one of the best places for women to be, now and looking ahead. It provides endless challenges for growth and learning, it’s flexible and dynamic, and it’s a high-demand career. Young women looking beyond high school and college can feel confident that a career in tech can take them far.

Undoubtedly, though, the tech industry has been slow to attract and elevate women and minorities, particularly into leadership roles. A well-known saying, “You can’t be what you can’t see” rightly applies to a career field where white men remain steadfastly dominant in the C-suite and upper management.

In a recent survey of women in tech conducted by Kaspersky, 44% of respondents said they still believe that men progress faster than them in their organization. Only 10% are part of a female-majority team, compared with 48% who are part of a male-majority team. Fewer than 20% were encouraged to pursue a tech career by female role models, and more than a third noted that statistic as inhibiting to their own careers.

But there are also signs of positive change. In the Kaspersky survey, 56% of women reported seeing levels of gender equality improve in their organization over the past two years, and 70% indicated that their skills and experience were considered ahead of gender when applying for their first tech role.

One of the common traits I’ve observed among women leaders, both in tech and other industries, is versatility. Most of the successful women I’ve known have worked in multiple fields, worn numerous hats, and actively sought opportunities to increase their skill sets. I talked with women leaders at Appriss, all of whom took less-than-linear paths to their current roles, about our industry and its future for women.

Lalla O’Bryan, Vice President of Victim Services with Appriss Insights, believes the tech industry creates connectivity and feeds engagement and resiliency in women.

“Upon reflection of my evolution in the workplace and true to many life opportunities, I’m reminded by Caroline Myss of the natural instincts to get up and try again. Females, and let’s be inclusive of all, must call upon their resilience. Daily engagement offers endless opportunities to build upon each experience to adjust our thinking, adapt to circumstances – and become energized every single day.”

Lauren Whitsell, Vice President of Operations and Customer Service at Appriss Insights, notes that tech is a field in which it’s difficult to “catch up” your skills over time. To level this playing field, we have to start early by getting girls interested in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) fields and presenting them with attractive career options.

“As a mother of two daughters, technology and its foundational subjects, like math and science, can be associated with ‘nerds’ or ‘geeks’ that can carry a negative perception for girls,” Whitsell said. “I have seen tremendous progress in this area, but there are other middle school and high school girls who may be searching for their own self-esteem or confidence, and steer away from things that could have a negative impact on their image with their peer group. We need to change the focus on tech and math from just images of programming by yourself, isolated from people in a dark room. Tech is about designing experiences that make life much easier and even fun. If using tech like Snapchat can be fun, building those experiences can be seen as just as much fun. We have to reframe the perceptions to reach our future female tech stars.”

There are still big gaps in representation between women and men in tech, says Krisy Bucher, Senior Director of Marketing Programs with Appriss Insights. “As a female and a minority, it's very important to me to inspire others, develop others, and help provide access to growth opportunities for future female leaders within Appriss and beyond.”

Bucher is particularly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on working women, noting that more than 4.5 million women have left the workforce over the last year. “Working moms are exhausted. We are working harder at work and at home, managing online schooling with increased housework,” she said. “As a society, we need to foster cultures that expect women and men to put forth equal effort, but also provide equal opportunity in return. As an employer, Appriss provides excellent work-life flexibility, but unfortunately, not all employers are as strong. Outside of economic factors, women are leaving the workforce because balancing work and home life during the pandemic has become too much.”

Bucher was instrumental in the creation of the Lean in Appriss Employee Resource Group to support women employees through networking and professional development. The group’s monthly online sessions have addressed challenges faced by women employees such as presenting and speaking with impact, building confidence, and overcoming impostor syndrome.

Lean in Appriss is just one initiative supported by Appriss to support and grow diverse talent. Last month, we entered a partnership with Girls With Impact, a non-profit business training program developed by Harvard MBA professors. In the program, a cohort of local high school girls from low to moderate-income families will develop their own business or non-profit venture, and after graduation, will be paired with local mentors to continue advancing their business plan. Girls With Impact not only opens new doors for the young women who participate, but it also develops diverse, inclusive talent for the next generation of tech leadership.

I’m grateful that I’m part of a tech company that is actively pursuing a more diverse workforce and creating mentoring programs to elevate women and minorities into management, executive, and board roles. So, on International Women’s Day, I’d love to hear from other women in tech. Was your career path a straight line or one with detours? How can we create more leadership opportunities for women currently in the field, and what can we do to attract girls to pursue a career in tech?