Today, we're tackling the biggest challenges facing women in tech. People don't talk about them much, so why not shine a light on them?
Let's look at some of the main issues first.
Double the load with WFH
It’s not that women didn’t have double duty before COVID-19, but the situation is very different now. Endless calls and deadlines combined with household chores have Phone Number Database made working from home a nightmare.
Especially for working mothers and single mothers, this is definitely a nightmare.
Maintaining a work-life balance
What’s even more challenging than pulling double duty is maintaining a work-life balance.
Just imagine if a company dinner and a family dinner are scheduled on the same day. Or if women need to work on weekends to meet deadlines, but at the same time they need to spend time with their families. How do they make the choice?
Balancing professional and personal life without falling apart is a distant dream for some. It is difficult, requires a lot of energy and sacrifice. But women are expected to do it without frowning.
Family problems
When women get married, a whole new journey begins for them... with a whole new set of challenges.
Some people say, " You should take care of your family instead of going to work.
When women have children, they say, “ How will you take care of the child if you go to work?
Some claim to be modern and progressive, but at the same time they say: " We ALLOW the women of our house to go to work.
Women silently endure enormous psychological pressure in fighting this regressive thinking. But why do we think they have to do this? It’s worth thinking about.
Other emotional problems
Most mothers who work in the tech industry struggle with deciding who will care for their children while they are at work. Some are lucky enough to have supportive spouses, parents, or mothers-in-law. But others are forced to leave their children in daycare or at home. This causes stress for women because they are unsure whether their children are getting the attention and care they deserve.
In addition, sometimes women are held back from taking advantage of great career opportunities due to unfavorable family circumstances. Isn't that unfortunate?
If you think things can't get any worse, you don't know the serious challenges facing women in the tech industry. So what are they?
Gender inequality
As much as we would like to deny it, gender inequality or gender bias exists in almost every field of work. In tech, it is one of the biggest barriers for women.
Additionally, gender pay inequality is another downside of the tech industry. According to a 2020 TimesJobs survey, 52% of women say they are paid 30% less than their male counterparts. [1] Surprised?
Job Roles
While this may be a sub-point of gender inequality, we would like to address it as a separate issue.
Did you know that women programmers only make up 8% of the workforce, while men dominate at 91.5%? [2] ?
Here's a little experiment. If you're a woman and a developer, try telling people about this and see how they react. Give it a try! It'll be fun.
Women are also not considered good managers. The irony is that they handle many responsibilities in their daily lives and do it well.
One of our previous posts talked about the harsh stereotypes women have to overcome. You can read it here .
Career breaks
In our opinion, it is quite unfair, but some interviewers interrogate women who have had career breaks. But isn't it easier to understand that women have more responsibilities than men? Women are expected to take career breaks when they get married. Women need career breaks when they give birth. There may be various other reasons.
We must understand that career breaks do not affect a woman's level. We just need to trust them.
Inflexible working hours
Because women see their personal and professional lives competing for their time, they expect employers to offer flexible work arrangements. But the tech industry stigmatizes women who demand such flexibility. Women also face different approaches to getting the benefits they want.
Interestingly, employers have the right to flexible working hours for more men than women [3] .
These issues contribute to a lack of trust in women. According to some data, men in the computer science field with zero to one year of experience are just as confident as women in the same field with eight years of experience. Unfortunately, some women also suffer from impostor syndrome [4] , which exacerbates the gender gap [5] .
Now the question is, what are we doing to make it easier for women?
Well, it's not rocket science. Just patience and understanding until the women get their act together will help a lot.
And how do we fill the gaps in gender, job roles, and confidence?
Giving women equal opportunities .
When we start to see women and men as equal beings with equal opportunities, we can make the world a better place for women. There is a study by Reboot Representation and McKinsey. [6] It shows how tech companies can easily close the gender gap in just a few steps. It may take time to change, but it is possible.
All said and done, modern women have risen above the challenges thrown at them. Modern women aren't even afraid to face those challenges. But it has to be fair game for them, right?
Let's end this post with a big hello to all working women! You are doing a great job! Don't let people tell you otherwise.
Readers, we hope you found this post instructive. Stay tuned for more in the coming days. Until then, goodbye!