Creating an inclusive community for women in tech

By Jessie Meleck

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Over the years there have been many attempts to increase the number of women in tech. From STEM programs and government initiatives to quotas and inclusive workplace policies, the problem has been addressed from many different angles and sectors.

Yet, depending on who you ask and how you calculate, women make up only 18-28% of the IT workforce. In Australia, where women constitute half of the total workforce, the numbers just aren’t adding up.¹

Slow improvement

The percentage of women studying STEM subjects is creeping upwards, but it’s a tough battle. Even though significantly more women attend VET/University than men, when it comes to STEM, men make up a far greater number of enrolments at 31% compared to women at just 9%.² Given that STEM is broader than IT, the pipeline for women entering the technology workforce is subsequently even smaller.

For those that get there, reports from the frontline aren’t great. Not only are there less women in tech roles, there are fewer in middle-management and leadership to look up to, they are very often paid less, do more administrative work than their male peers and report they are held to higher standards.³ Longitudinal analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that 5 years after graduation, male graduates were 1.8 times more likely to be working in a STEM-qualified occupation – an eye-opening 47% of men compared to 26% of women.⁴

No matter how you cut it, females at every stage of their education and careers face an uphill battle for equality in the tech industry.

A place for everyone

While STEM-promotional programs continue apace addressing all levels of the challenge, there has been recognition in recent years for organisations to do their part in providing an environment conducive to diversity and inclusion.

Culture is a critically important factor in attracting and retaining a workforce. Incidents of toxicity and bro-culture make headlines globally and most women working in tech can cite their own personal war stories. From outright harassment to the hidden ways in which women are perceived to be ‘other’ by virtue of their scarcity, tech has long had a problem in building inclusive cultures (and which, of course, go far beyond sex or gender).

Female mentoring, networking opportunities and community groups are on the rise as a way to counteract some of the more ostracising facets of homogeneity. PwC’s own She’s Here in Cyber & Tech program aims to inspire women to consider pursuing careers in technology by creating opportunities for women to connect, network, and talk about things that are important from a female leadership perspective. This includes topics such as unconscious bias, negotiating pay, as well as providing the space to connect with other women who have gone through similar career paths, or have similar stories to share.

This doesn’t mean that company leadership gets a pass on doing their part, but it does provide a place for women to access mentors, discuss challenges and find people to look up to. It’s a necessary counterbalance.

The opportunity within

A more diverse workforce has long been understood to improve financial performance, innovation, decision making, problem solving and a host of other organisational benefits. However it doesn’t just magically work by increasing the number of diverse hires.⁵ Employers need to value and respect those employees by creating a place that feels good to work at and is flexible enough to accommodate the needs of particular segments – for instance, by providing parental leave, childcare facilities/subsidies, school holiday programs and the like. PwC’s recent What workers want survey emphasises the need to get employee value propositions right – not only to keep people from leaving to join the great resignation, but also to attract new talent in an increasingly tight market.

Even without the bottom-line financial argument for diversity, a greater fact remains true for the technology sector – there are not enough people to do the work that needs to be done. Encouraging women to take these roles makes economic sense as well as being a socially responsible practice.

Technology, and society as its benefactor, will profit too. Unconscious bias in programming has been shown to lead to unintended and avoidable consequences in the realm of artificial intelligence – an area where, according to UNESCO, only 22% of professionals are women.⁶ As technology grows ever complex, the need to ensure that everyone is present in its development and oversight grows with it.

Here to stay

As a firm, PwC is committed to empowering female voices in technology. We’re letting women around the world know not only is there a place for them in technology, but that the industry needs their unique perspectives. As governments, educational institutions and interest groups focus on attracting girls and women to STEM fields, corporate Australia needs to ensure that there are jobs for them when they graduate. Jobs where they will feel welcome, will be empowered, fulfilled, and paid fairly.

^{1 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/changing-female-employment-over-time}

^{2 https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/May%202021/document/stem-equity-monitor-highlights-report-2021_0.pdf}

^{3 https://venturebeat.com/2022/04/15/report-94-of-women-in-tech-say-theyre-held-to-a-higher-standard-than-men/}

^{4 https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/May%202021/document/stem-equity-monitor-highlights-report-2021_0.pdf}

^{5 https://hbr.org/2020/11/getting-serious-about-diversity-enough-already-with-the-business-case}

^{6 https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-convenes-global-dialogue-break-through-bias-ai-international-womens-day}

Creating an inclusive community for women in tech