International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century, with deep roots in women’s suffrage and the labour movement. Each year, different events take place globally, including marches, exhibitions and debates, all with the aim to bring focus to gender equality issues.
With this year’s International Women’s Day fast approaching on March 8, it is more important than ever to take a look at gender equality in the workplace. This year’s theme is ‘Accelerate Action’, with the aim to focus on speeding up the progress towards equality for women.
Despite good progress in previous years, gender equality figures have actually begun to regress, particularly in the technology sector. Since peaking at 14% in 2022, the worldwide percentage of women leaders in tech companies has now dropped to a concerning 5%. This is even more worrying now that large companies are starting to remove DEI policies from their organisational practices. More barriers seem to be rising again in the workplace for women, therefore it’s crucial that more is done to counteract this.
Breaking out of the minority
Women, particularly in the tech industry, can often find themselves in the minority due to its male-dominated nature. Charis Thomas, Chief Product Officer at Aqilla, notes how this can feel off-putting: “Being in the minority can feel intimidating, but focusing on delivering quality work helps create commonality. Like anyone, you eventually find your tribe.”
She said: “The gender pay gap persists in many industries, partly due to historical cultural norms and because of factors like maternity leave. Not-for-profits such as Women in Tech, Girls Who Code and Tech She Can do great work encouraging women to enter science and technology fields. Change is happening, driven by the increasing need for diverse roles in tech and finance. There’s also an essential need to integrate humanities and sociology with science and technology to support the creation of ethical technology frameworks.”
Plus, it is well known that greater diversity leads to increased revenue, while also fostering new thinking and driving innovation. This is why it is so vital for companies to continue to hire from diverse talent pools and carry on striving for equality – it will bring them benefits and help reduce the pay gap at the same time.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
The recent news of several major US corporations ending their diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) practices is concerning to say the least. Many are worried that organisations across other parts of the globe might follow suit, but the importance of these practices must not be forgotten.
Alex Pusenjak, VP People & Culture at Fluent Commerce, recognises this, noting: “According to research, only a third of organisations feel that their DEIB initiatives are actually effective. Several also reported having trouble managing their DEIB programmes despite integrating them into their business strategy. However, pulling back on DEIB is not the answer – working to develop more impactful DEIB programmes is.”
“Organisations can’t waste time creating a complicated programme that ultimately doesn’t see the light of day, they have to ‘jump in’ and start somewhere. What helps is to take a barometer reading of where the organisation is in relation to DEIB,” he continued. Pusenjak explains how global employee engagement surveys can be utilised to seek feedback on an organisation’s DEIB programme, and then targeted action can be taken while benchmarking progress.
He added: “HR teams need to educate their leadership teams, making the ‘business case’ for DEIB so that it is baked into everything from the beginning. That way the accountability lies with everyone, rather than trying to create a programme and implementing it on your own. DEIB isn’t an ‘issue’ for the CEO or the senior leadership team to ‘resolve’ – it’s everyone’s responsibility. Strategic, impactful DEIB programmes that focus on belonging will develop far more results than any single HR programme, finding a way to inspire and retain employees throughout the year.”
The benefits of flexible working
Flexible and hybrid work models are still prevalent across many industries, and these can actually have a positive impact on women in the workplace. Brendan Noud, CEO at LearnUpon, said: “Flexible work structures have been instrumental in attracting and retaining women in the technology industry, providing the opportunity for working mothers to better manage family responsibilities alongside career commitments. Return to office (RTO) mandates could turn back the clock on this progress, leaving many with no choice but to reduce hours or give up their career entirely.
“At the same time, organisations that offer remote options need to ensure that progression opportunities aren’t tied to in-person visibility. With claims that proximity bias can negatively impact career development, women risk being overlooked for senior positions, contributing to the gender pay gap. This may seem like a Catch-22 for organisations. However, development can happen no matter where an employee works, as long as businesses make it a priority.”
Noud added: “During COVID-19, organisations were forced to embrace online learning technologies to skill and develop their people. This proved to be successful then, so there’s no reason it can’t now. By investing in development opportunities that are accessible to all, business leaders can ensure that flexible work structures continue to work and that they’re not putting an unintentional glass ceiling up for women at work.”
Clearly, there is still a way to go to achieve true gender equality across all industries whether tech or otherwise. However, instead of being disheartened, organisations should take this year’s International Women’s Day as a catalyst to accelerate positive changes and make work a fairer place for all.
