The tech industry in Silicon Valley may not be the only place where males significantly outnumber females. It also appears to be a phenomenon in the Caribbean. Here are three reasons why there are so few girls and women in tech.<\/em><\/p>\n
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Earlier this week, reports published indicated that Twitter and to a lesser extent, Pinterest lacked diversity in their workforce, especially with respect to women and minorities. At Twitter, about 30% of its employees are women, whilst at Pinterest, that figure lies closer to 40%. This gender imbalance appears to be the norm in the tech industry, as earlier reports indicated that at Google, women hold only 17% of technical positions, whilst at Facebook and Yahoo, it was as low as 15% (Source SFGate<\/a>).<\/p>\n
In the Caribbean and in many countries worldwide, female enrolment in tertiary institutions significantly outstrips those for males. This is especially the case across most disciplines, and particularly those traditionally considered the domain of men \u2013 medicine, law, accounting and business. However, for STEM-related programmes (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the enrolment trend is reversed.<\/p>\n
In order to successfully matriculate into medicine, law and business degree programmes requires academic prowess, which our women and girls do possess, evidenced by those who are recognised as top performers across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. However, why are women not choosing to enrol in STEM programmes?<\/p>\n
Likely reasons for this situation may be that STEM-related professions are not seen as being lucrative \u2013 unlike the notions that still obtains for the above-mentioned fields \u2013 which people believe might offer better job security, fabulous pay, and an upwardly mobile lifestyle. Additionally, we may also need to consider the role society \u2013 parents, teachers, family, and the man on the street, play in reinforcing those stereotypes.<\/p>\n
Tied back to societal stereotypes, and regardless of the strides women have made over the decades, there is still appears to be a latent yet pervasive pressure that in order to be considered \u201ca woman\u201d, one must be a wife and mother, and secondary to the other people in one\u2019s life. This expectation inherently influences the choices that girls and women make. From personal observation and harking back to university days, there was a sense, among some girls that pursuing a degree was a just a way to remain occupied until \u201cMr. Right\u201d came along.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, in the work place, women appear more prepared \u2013than their male counterparts \u2013 to hold themselves back when opportunities for promotion or professional advancement become available. A key reason for this behaviour tends to be their current romantic relationships and\/or family commitment, or aiming to position themselves to achieve those personal goals. Hence, even for the few girls that end up in tech, too often, they do not advance to the extent of their potential, or change direction into less challenging areas, to accommodate what society, and they themselves, believe ought to be priority in their lives.<\/p>\n
Finally, tech firms tend to want talented and eager persons keen to capitalise on the opportunities being offered, and in the case of tech start-ups, the opportunity to shape a new venture and demonstrate innovation. However, women can find themselves out of consideration because, essentially, their numbers are too few: too few graduating with the needed STEM qualifications, though having the aptitude to do so; and too few willing to pursue the associated career path to position themselves for future opportunities.<\/p>\n
Based on such entrenched behaviour, it is possible and perhaps no surprise that the proportion of women to men in the tech industry is so low. However, more importantly, that behaviour could result in the women who do pursue tech careers having to actively and continually break down barriers and assumptions about their commitment to the work, and to their own professional growth and development.<\/p>\n
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Image credits:\u00a0 Lindsay T<\/a> (flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n
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