Western societies’ laws and attitudes towards women have drastically changed in the last century. Leaving a few to question why international women’s day (March 8th) and women’s history month (1st-31st March) is still important to share and celebrate in modern society. The path for women has been paved by the previous generation’s work, so women now can have more options and rights than they once had. More women have had the chance to make their mark, through being business owners, leaders, CEO, etc – but unfortunately, they are still too far and in between. For a sex that is just under half of the global population (49.6%), only 29% of them are in senior roles. So, the few that have managed to ‘break the glass ceiling’ do not represent the current opportunities for all women. If we wish to continue the work of the generations before us, by celebrating, sharing stories, and reflecting on what we can do better, means that society can continue to grow and prosper for the future women of tomorrow.
Yet, highlighting the success and struggles of women is not there to undermine the issues and achievements of men – but to encourage equality, balance, and equity across all opportunities for both sexes – which in 2022 we have yet to achieve. Celebrating women’s month is not there to compete but acts as a reminder to society of the journey that women have had and the journey they still need to go on. Being an advocate for the celebration in March means you inspire women, men, girls, and boys to the progression of true gender equity.
ComputerWorld wants to make positive changes and encourage more women to be a part of the tech community. During women’s month, we want to share the stories, experiences, and advice of those women in the industry, some from inside ComputerWorld, and others from other branches of IT.
We recognise that the tech industry is a male-dominated space, with only 26% of the workforce being made of women. Research suggests that there are a few reasons why there are so few women in the tech industry compared to men, starting with a lack of female role models to encourage schoolgirls to join the industry. This is demonstrated by only 3% of girls in education saying a tech career path is their first choice (PwC UK). That lack of encouragement by role models for young girls could be due to society still having an internalised preconception of there being female and male spaces. Therefore, the women’s month campaign by ComputerWorld is important as we are encouraging women and girls to join the tech industry through the stories of others and sharing them on our platforms.
Although there are few physical barriers in place, the industry still is shown to be plagued by internalised gender practices. Campaigns and talking to one another are great ways to address the issues for women in tech. Starting an open dialogue of experiences and advice through campaigns such as ComputerWorld’s; presents a female representation within the tech world that can help change mindsets and encourage awareness. Using our platforms to share these stories is just one way to start the change into an industry of equity.
From March 1st to March 31st ComputerWorld in International women’s month will be telling the stories of a few women’s journeys in the industry and voicing why others are in support of this month. We will be sharing content on how other businesses can do better and what we all should do to incite positive change. We invite you to watch, read, listen, and share these stories, so we can all start shaping and further paving the path of women in tech. Follow our stories over at DefineTomorrow.co.uk.