Inclusion is a wonderful thing; it breaks down barriers and unites us across genders, cultures, religions, and other beliefs. But like all great ideas, it takes effort, willpower, and often a willingness to change. March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD) and this year it is all about ‘inspiring inclusion’. To celebrate IWD 2024, BizCover caught up with three of our leading women in tech to hear their thoughts on inspiring inclusion and forging careers as women in technology.
“Inclusion means that we’ve all got a seat at the table, regardless of gender,” explains Delivery Lead Sherryne Dayoub. “It’s really important to have women in technology because we do have different perspectives and biases; when I see a female leader, that’s someone I can relate to.”
For Cyber Security Engineer Sahithi Somavarapu, a recent university graduate who just started with BizCover, inclusion is a matter of respecting everyone, regardless of gender.
“It's important to encourage more women to pursue tech careers and promote women to tech leadership roles” argues Somavarapu.
However, Anchal Marwah – Senior Business Analyst, Scrum Master, and an IT veteran with more than a decade in marketing tech – cautions that even in 2024 women in tech roles need to do more than their male colleagues to be seen in the workplace.
“I think we should have more workshops and mentorship programs dedicated to educating and raising awareness of diversity and inclusion for everyone in business,” explains Marwah. “This can help remove certain stereotypes and biased behavior within workplace culture. These are the baby steps where we can make a start.
“I think women have the upper hand because they are very empathetic and they also generally have highly developed soft skills.”
Four business benefits of diversity and inclusion
While diversity and inclusion in business is its own reward, it’s also worth noting that diversity and inclusion offers several key general business benefits, as follows.
#1: A wider range of perspectives
Businesses that prioritise a culture of diversity and inclusion (DE&I) can attract top talent, expanding the pool of skilled individuals and improving employer branding. Businesses that prioritise diversity can benefit from diverse perspectives, resulting in better decision-making processes and the avoidance of group thinking within the workplace.
#2: Attracting and retaining staff
Having a diverse and inclusive workplace helps to attract and retain staff. Business that prioritise diversity and inclusion are often considered more attractive to employees.
#3: Increased productivity
Productive teams are often defined by their diversity and inclusive nature.
Conversely, a lack of diversity and inclusion can have a negative impact.
#4: Increased employee morale and engagement
When employees feel valued and included for who they are, they will be more likely to enjoy their work and go above and beyond, which can:
- increase productivity and lead to out-of-the-box creative problem solving;
- improved employee morale and engagement;
- unlock access to a larger talent pool;
- improved employer branding;
- attracting and retaining top talent; and
- enhanced decision-making processes.
The importance of encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech
While the IT industry has traditionally been dominated by men, in 2024 that is changing. Indeed, there is increasingly more opportunity for women, which Marwal and Dayoub prize.
“I’ve enjoyed vast experience in different roles, starting by providing networking and programming language to leadership roles,” adds Marwah. “It’s been a great experience to see how different stages of tech work.”
“Tech has given me opportunities I didn’t expect to have,” says Dayoub. “I’ve been to Singapore. I’ve worked across multiple different areas, such as risk, governance, and mobile app development, which was really cool!”
Coming into her first tech role, Somavarapu is brimming with excitement about working alongside her fellow women in tech and encourages interested women to pursue careers in tech.
“You’re not just going to be someone sitting in front of a screen, just coding or just testing,” explains Somavarapu. “There are roles where you need high communication skills, but you still need to have that technical knowledge of problem solving skills. And because it keeps growing, we are going to need more and more people. So there's so many opportunities.”
Three top tips for women seeking a career in tech
#1: “Find an industry or an area you have an interest in and look for companies that align with that”. (Dayoub)
#2: “If women are interested in a career in tech, they can certainly achieve it,” she enthuses. “Believe in yourself, be constantly learning, and reach out to mentors who can provide guidance to you.” (Somavarapu)
#3: It’s very important to stay up to date on technology. So be an early adopter of new systems and processes. (Marwah)
Women and men work best together
Ultimately, businesses can be best served by diversity of thinking and bringing together different perspectives and different ways of doing things. And that includes men and women working alongside each other in tech roles.
“We think differently; we solve problems differently,” explains Dayoub. “We often talk about women needing to be more like men in the workforce. However, I believe there are strengths in our differences – which will ultimately benefit organisations when we all work together.”
While Marwah, Dayoub, and Somavarapu will celebrate IWD 2024 with their fellow BizCover employees, they acknowledge there are still underlying issues related to gender equality lingering within the tech industry, such as gender-biased remuneration.
“While the tremendous contribution of women in the tech industry exemplifies inclusion and diversity, there are still some underlying issues related to gender equality,” explains Marwah. “Many women still face challenges when it comes to growth or navigating through their tech career.”
As we celebrate IWD on Friday March 8, let it constantly serve as a reminder to celebrate women in tech and highlight the importance of inclusion and diversity for greater equality.
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