The lack of women and non-binary talent in the tech industry is due to insufficient support and attention, particularly from senior management, to study subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is often argued that this is due to a lack of qualified candidates. . This is a story that is regularly repeated as part of conversations about diversity in technology. Unfortunately, however, the problem at hand runs deeper.
While simply acknowledging the issue and having these conversations is a big step in the right direction, the industry still has a way to go when it comes to gender balance.
Today, many women enter the industry with ambitions to have fulfilling, successful and rewarding careers, and they come from all walks of life. This is a huge improvement over the past and will continue to be for a long time to come.
However, while small steps have been taken to balance the scales, these industries are still overrepresented by women and non-binary individuals. Positive changes have been long overdue. So what is the solution to this age-old problem?
Expanding the talent pool
To expand the talent pool, companies within the technology industry need to identify new employees through more alternative channels. Community colleges and capture-the-flag events designed to test and develop computer security skills in a competitive setting are great places to start. These environments are full of the most passionate and committed people who might not get offers elsewhere because they didn't go to top schools. I've seen it with my own eyes. Finding new talent through non-traditional channels helps create a more diverse workforce. Discovering and retaining this untapped talent is exactly what the technology industry needs.
I'm not alone in thinking this way. My colleague Stephanie Aceves, senior director of product management at Tanium, also believes that many companies are simply looking in the wrong place.
“One of the reasons women have low retention rates is because we often limit our focus on recruiting diversity and forget about creating an attractive environment for female team members.” she said. “Oftentimes, women become a little disillusioned with the IT space because they realize that the ‘space’ isn’t really created for them. That’s why we encourage women on our team to You need to act in a way that shows you have space and are considered at every stage of your career.”
women are forced out of the industry
However, all this effort to recruit new talent will be in vain if the industry cannot keep up with the times. Finding talented new employees who are female or non-binary is the first step, but retaining these employees long-term remains a major challenge.
Personally, I am passionate about encouraging more women and non-binary people to enter IT and cybersecurity and stay there throughout their careers. But more can be done to instill this same level of commitment across the industry. And when it comes to reasons why these people leave the industry, the same problems keep coming up.
Although there have been improvements in recent years, many sectors still fail to support women's family goals and commitments, and the IT and technology industry is no exception. Regardless of the skills and potential an individual possesses, work, or even the industry itself, can be difficult due to the seeming non-existence of work-life balance and the lack of support provided to manage other jobs. You may decide to quit. Loyalty in life.
And while efforts have been made to eradicate such attitudes, the presence of outdated and harmful behaviors and opinions within an industry can cause talented workers to turn away from the industry. There is also gender.
Despite all the progress, and despite all the progress, too many women and non-binary people are intimidated by the so-called “tech bro culture.” When this kind of mentality exists within a company, it becomes a systemic problem that can encourage gender discrimination and harassment in some workplaces, and is difficult to eradicate.
Although it's not as widespread as it used to be, just one person harboring misogynistic beliefs can cause dozens of people to quit their job or even refuse a job offer in the first place.
Providing better benefits and policies
It is clear that the industry needs to do more to attract women and non-binary workers into the industry and retain existing team members. This means a full sector effort, rather than individuals tinkering with the details.
It is paramount that we work together to make the industry more family-friendly and attractive to women. With this in mind, the three reforms I would urgently introduce are:
- We need to recruit from non-traditional paths and welcome back those who have taken time off to start families.
- We need generous parental leave policies, childcare subsidies and healthy levels of personal leave.
- We need to create an environment that supports people who need time off to start a family or flexible working arrangements to care for dependents.
Although these three points seem to primarily support employees who want to have children, the policy benefits parents and non-parents alike. Reducing the chance of burnout from overwork at home or in the office, and having time for caring for relatives or for one's own mental health, benefits the entire workforce.
By bringing in new perspectives, voices, and ideas, organizations can switch up their approach within the business, positively impact culture, and broaden the company's appeal to new users and employees. Bringing fresh, different, and diverse ways of thinking to your employees always benefits the entire company.
Diversity is key to closing the skills gap
After all, diversity goes beyond standard demographics. If we are to close the skills gap that exists within our industry, we need to attract as many different types of talent as possible. However, there is little point in focusing on recruitment if you cannot offer attractive terms and fair pay.
Rather than looking for “unicorns” who can do and know everything, we need to nurture the talent we already have and develop all our employees into well-rounded, experienced professionals. This includes setting aside time for mentorship programs that help diversify employees' skill sets and build more peer leadership within the team.
Some of the highest-performing teams I've ever worked with had technical roles elsewhere, such as retail, hospitality, finance, and healthcare, before joining the IT industry. It is made up of people who have just started their careers.
They come from different backgrounds but bring unique insights as technology consumers and security decision makers. In my experience, they have valuable empathy for how your security plan impacts other parts of your business and can provide unique insight into how to increase adoption and compliance.
Teams whose members have different educational backgrounds or offer different expertise also perform better. Having a group that has learned how to solve problems through a variety of examples and curricula means you are maximizing the opportunities for innovation.
It doesn't matter which way you look at it. Diversity is achieved in so many ways and on so many levels. It’s time for the industry to remove barriers and create space. It's time to act.
