The tech industry has been under constant development and growth. While already earning millions of dollars every year, the global tech industry was in the middle of an accelerating growth spurt when along came the pandemic. Despite the sudden shift in the overall global economic situation, the tech industry fared better.
However, despite its growth patterns and being one of the leading and most rapidly growing industries, Information Technology remains a male-dominated field. Gender disparity within the tech field remains a glaringly acknowledged reality. Even though women make up 60% of the American workforce, only 26% of tech jobs are held by women. Compared to 30% female representation in the IT sector, this number is quite a drop.
Other statistics concerning gender representation are further proof that women are highly underrepresented in information technology. For instance, the turnover rate among women in the tech industry is twice as high. Also, only 5% of leadership positions are held by women as more than 20% of women, under the age of 35 in the industry, are still working in junior positions. The statistics are even more concerning for women of colour, queer women and queer women of colour in the tech field.
The reason behind this gender gap in the tech industry is not exactly a revelation. There is a pervasive bias against women that prevents them from gaining the same level of recognition their male counterparts receive. For example, codes written by women were 78% more likely to be accepted when their gender was not revealed.
These facts are a mere glimpse of the current situation of women in IT. In recent years, activism and increasing awareness of gender bias in the tech field has compelled tech giants and small businesses alike to address this issue.
Taking a small step today, Code of Talent is sharing the voices of women who provided our organization with unwavering support by contributing their undeniable talent, expertise and mastery over the tech field.
In this story, four Code of Talent women share some insight into what it is like to be in a field where they are surrounded by men. We asked women at Code of Talent a few questions to listen to and understand what they have to say.
The purpose of showcasing the stories of these women in Tech is to show aspiring female-identifying students and budding tech experts that the tech industry is not an approachable dream. These real-world examples are faces and names that young women can look up to and be motivated to enter this field.
Let’s open the floor to the women at Code of Talent!
Magdalena Barbu, Enterprise Solutions Consultant
What are your passions?
Life is surrounded by art in many forms; and that is where my passion lies. I believe that we humans are unique beings that are compelled to create something that defines us every day, whether it is putting paint on canvas or chiselling tools out of stone.
For me, my interest in art began when I was a child. I loved watching my grandfather sculpt and breathe life into his pieces. It was then that I felt that art would always be a part of my life.
Thus, at the age of 31, I am a painter, sculptor and even have an accredited diploma as a clothing designer. But all this is based on a woman of fixed sciences, an environmental engineer; who, if she has to change something in this path, would have chosen biotechnology.
What is your motivation? What makes you get out of bed every morning?
Well, this may sound a little cheesy, but being a woman in this male-dominated field, I am motivated every day by a strong desire to change the world. I have full-hearted faith in the fact that no matter how big or small of a contribution you make, if you give even an ounce of goodness into the universe, you’ve done your part. What matters is that you make an honest effort to do better and lead by example. This is the only way we can slowly make a difference for others and the world we live in.
How is it to work in a tech company?
Being a woman of artistic inclinations, I have always been drawn to industries based on fixed sciences. There is something amazing about having access to systems that we can implement to automate and digitize, potentially, the entire planet. I believe that life can’t exist without these fixed sciences and could not imagine working in a different kind of field now or in the future.
How do you feel working in an industry dominated by men?
For me, I don’t see my field as a ground of competition between men and women. I believe that everyone has something unique to bring to the industry. I am certainly glad by the fact that people around me have understood the importance of providing equal opportunities and have made efforts to sustain that. Women have been offered opportunities at board levels, allowing them to make their point of view known and heard.
What do you think we need to do so that we can encourage women to grow a tech career?
Women, being equally talented, possess a great capacity for growth and development in the IT field. I support the implementation of IT education in primary schools and not limiting them to previously available information. I believe that children should be provided with recent knowledge so that future generations can reach a higher level of intellect at an early age.
If you were to choose a different career what would it be?
As I mentioned previously, I would have chosen biotechnology if not this field. I believe that medicine will be directly driven by our technological capabilities and be pivotal in increasing global life expectancy.
Ruxandra Braica, Customer Success Executive
What are your passions?
I simply love cars! I have always wanted to be a race car driver and still believe that it could be possible one day. I also love photography as it allows me to appreciate and capture those small details that we sometimes fail to even notice despite them being right in front of our eyes. The most exciting experience with both of my passions was when I combined them for a while.
What is your motivation? What makes you get out of bed every morning?
My motivation comes from my family, my friends and my lovely pets. That’s where it starts at least. It is then carried forward by a desire to improve myself every single day so all these small efforts, eventually, leave a larger impact in some capacity. Whether it’s the world or the town I live in.
And of course, the 7:30am that goes off right by my ear every morning! (I’m joking of course!)
How is it to work in a tech company?
I would say that it was a challenge well worth the effort. I didn’t always know that this is where I would end up. As a young girl, I always wanted a job where I could work with people closely. And that’s why I wanted to be a trainer or a psychotherapist. So you can imagine that the transition from Ascendis to Code of Talent was a challenge. Fortunately, it opened a world of new possibilities for me; a world that allows me to understand people’s needs and then come up with solutions that solve them. I love doing that, even when I have to sit behind a screen all day.
How do you feel working in an industry dominated by men?
It is quite challenging, to be honest. There are times where I think that just because it’s a man’s world, they might be better in the tech field. But then I correct myself and work harder to understand this rational universe and make it better.
What do you think we need to do so that we can encourage women to grow a tech career?
I think that women should always be encouraged to choose a job they always dreamed of. It doesn’t matter if the field is male-dominated or not. What matters is the way that job, that daily activity, makes them feel at the end of the day.
If you were to choose a different career what would it be?
Simply put, I would be a psychotherapist but this job is rewarding on its own.
Laura Voica, Marketing Manager
What are your passions?
To be honest, this question is probably the most difficult for me. Over the years, I’ve felt the pressure of having a passion to dedicate my time toward. Gradually, I discovered that I am passionate about what makes us human and drives us day by day. Therefore, for some years now, together with a team of psychotherapists, we have launched an NGO that promotes psychotherapy as a form of personal development and not only as an intervention in crises.
I also volunteer as a vocational counsellor in underprivileged high schools, helping teenagers identify their strengths, abilities and their career paths.
What is your motivation? What makes you get out of bed every morning?
What gets me out of bed every morning is that every day there is a lesson to learn. I think that one of the most common ways to evolve is by learning from each other. Each interaction we have, each person that we meet, has a lesson to teach. It brings us closer to ourselves and to our strengths or reveals vulnerabilities that we had kept well hidden. I am motivated by the fact that every day I can (re)discover myself by interacting, helping or supporting others or vice versa.
How is it to work in a tech company?
Working in a tech company came naturally to me as I have always been interested in the ways we can help people through technology; ways in which we can contribute to our evolution as a species. My job at Code of Talent gels with my own inclinations as our solution is based on the microlearning methodology. It improves retention and efficiency by providing small, compact learning modules, easy to understand thus helping people learn faster and do better. Overall, it’s an interesting and rewarding experience to witness this side of human development.
How do you feel working in an industry dominated by men?
The tech or IT industry is, statistically speaking, an industry dominated by men. What I have observed in the past years is that like in other male-dominated industries, there is increasing attention to a gender-balanced workspace. Now we see women in leadership positions in male-dominated industries, which I think is a huge step forward. But we still have ways to go.
What do you think we need to do so that we can encourage women to grow a tech career?
We should encourage a culture of courage and curiosity; not only among women but among everybody. Also, breaking down female stereotypes and encouraging them to pursue their passion despite the industry being male-dominated will give young girls the push they need. Last, but not the least, I think one of the most important things that we can do for future generations is share our experiences and guide them.
If you were to choose a different career what would it be?
I would have been either a psychotherapist or I would own a winery (weird turn of events, right?). I love the stories and the art around wine making, so having a winery seems like a possible career.
Ana Buleu, DevSecOps Lead
What are your passions?
I'm an eclectic reader and a cinephile (a cinema enthusiast if you will) - I don't discriminate between genres but I am picky about the quality of the message. I consider a movie “great” only when it has a strong enough plot and beautifully filmed scenes that I will remember a few years down the line. Besides that, nature fills me with joy; anything that brings me close to nature is a lucky winner.
What is your motivation? What makes you get out of bed every morning?
To learn. I appreciate what life teaches me daily and I get up every morning to embrace those lessons.
How is it to work in a tech company?
I always wanted to pursue either medicine or natural sciences. But I was also good at math and computer science. It was all a gradual process. It didn’t happen like it happens in movies. Life just led me here little by little. Every choice led to the next and here I am; the product of my choices.
How do you feel working in an industry dominated by men?
Why do we care if it's a male-dominated environment or not? What really matters is how balanced, ethical, intelligent, funny and team-spirited my colleagues are. If managers select people wisely, then wonderful combinations of people can have amazing work chemistry, regardless of gender.
What do you think we need to do so that we can encourage women to grow a tech career?
We should appreciate and encourage a healthy work-life balance. Having a great career shouldn't come at the expense of one’s personal life and relationships. It should be natural for both, men and women, to have rewarding careers. Everyone should have the drive to follow their professional dreams and at the same time feel natural about it. Our place is everywhere, but it is especially where we want it to be.
If you were to choose a different career what would it be?
I would cultivate endless fields of fancy spices as I am a huge fan of flavours - they bring out the best in me!
Final Thoughts
With that, we get some insight into these leading women who have made their mark not just at CoT but within the tech industry. These are everyday women with passions, aspirations and dreams like the rest of us. It is proof from their success that when women receive equality and the same platform to prove their potential, they are no less or no more than any other man.
At this moment, let these women and the greats who paved the path before them be a guiding light leading our female youth onto better, brighter and more prosperous futures.