Women in Tech: Career Challenges and Achievements

Despite social transformations, some sectors of the economy still carry strong gender inequalities. The technology area is an example, always being used to show these disparities. 

However, even with a male predominance, the scenario is already undergoing changes. According to the survey focused on technology leadership conducted by KPMG and Harvey Nash, the participation of women in senior positions  in Latin America currently stands at 16%.

This percentage is significantly higher than the 4% female representation in these functions in countries like the UK, and higher than the global average of 11%. Is this a statistic to be celebrated? Yes, but 16% is still not much when compared to the Latin American female population, in which they represent half.

The forecasts are for greater equality for the future in general: women should surpass men in terms of representation in the labor force in Brazil in the next decade, according to the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea). But to ensure that there is a reasonable proportion at leadership, C-Levels, there is still a path to be traveled.

In this article, we will talk about the origins of these inequalities, the changes in this scenario, and women's achievements in the technology industry.

Shall we go?

The origins of the low representation of women in technology

According to the survey Unlocking The Power of Women in Technology (UPWIT), more than 50% of women who work with computers have experienced some form of discrimination. But where does it come from? How can we explain the low representation of women in this area and the cultural difficulty of society to make room for women in technology?

Since, from an early age, there is a division, considered natural by many, which reinforces gender stereotypes historically established, girls end up being occupied with tasks and interests related to the private sphere.

This determination directly influences the development of skills throughout childhood, according to doctoral research by sociologist Barbara Castro on the female presence in IT. Therefore, it is not common to see girls, from an early age, becoming interested in technological or scientific areas.

And, consequently, these structural problems lead to women hardly ever being seen in senior positions in technology. According to a global survey by the Center for Talent Innovation, among people who enter STEM (science, engineering, mathematics, and technology) careers, women are 45% more likely to drop out than men.

Recently, the increase of women in technology fields and especially in leadership positions is due to specific fostering programs created by social projects and startups, according to the KPMG and Harvey Nash research.

Moreover, this study, which gathered almost 5,000 global leaders, also attributed this growing female integration into leadership positions to the increase in STEM businesses and the small amount of professionals, in general, qualified, which enabled women professionals to gain space to show their work.

But beyond the ideal of inclusion, does diversity in tech teams bring benefits? The study shows that it does. A total of 2/3 of the responding executives stated that tech teams that broke the 'white, cis, middle-class male' stereotype had not only increased trust and collaboration among peers, but also developed even more expertise that companies needed, such as creativity.

The more diversity, the more women are involved in strategic and operational decisions, are hired and recognized in various organizational pyramid spaces, and are in significant numbers in a work environment, the more these perceived subtle and often unconscious biases will lose strength and strengthen gender equity policies.

Tech: right up women's alley!

Besides speaking from a historical perspective and showing the main challenges, it is necessary to shed light on some women who have already done a lot for technology and whose contributions are still used today.

Although many of them are not well known, here we make a point of highlighting them to make girls and women feel motivated and confident to explore the universe of technology and programming.

Now, meet 5 women who have left their mark in the history of technology.

1. Ada Lovalace (1815 - 1852)

Passionate about mathematics and programming, she was describing logical machine operations long before there was a computer. Daughter of Lord Byron and born in a patriarchal society, she could not attend university, but exchanged letters with Charles Babbage, creator of the Analytical Machine, and even published articles with her initials.

2. Dorothy Johnson Vaughan

Dorothy was the first African-American woman to head a section of NASA, and her story has even been made into a movie. She is one of the protagonists of 'Hidden Figures'. With a degree in mathematics and a specialization in computing, she mastered electronic computing, programming, and the operational process of the first IBM machine used by the U.S. government agency.

3. Margaret Hamilton

Now 85 years old, the American computer scientist developed the flight program used in the Apollo 11 project, the first crewed mission to the moon. The project of this director of the Software Division at MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory prevented the moon landing from being aborted.

4. Susan Kare

The designer influenced the whole iconography of computing. She worked at Apple and is the creator of the save (diskette format), trash can, alert, clock and paint icons among others that are used until today. And it doesn't stop there: she was also responsible for designing the first font for the digital environment, meant to be as legible as the characters in a book.

5. Clarisse Sieckenius de Souza

The Brazilian is a computer scientist, researcher in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI), and creator of the theory of semiotic engineering. Passionate about the characteristics of the languages used in the development and use of software systems, Clarisse was recognized, in 2014, as one of the 54 women of all time who stand out for their research work in the area of Computer Science.

After learning more about these tech stars, it is natural to be inspired.

Even though not every woman will have an interest in technology, digital transformation is a path of no return for society and for companies that want to grow and adapt to the new means of consumption. This is precisely the time when there are many career transitions, definitions of new expertise, and opportunities for new professional discoveries.

Therefore, encourage women to believe in their careers in the digital world and in the technological sphere. Women are more than partners in the digital transformation, they are essential for a company to grow and not be left behind..