
Celebrating Women in Tech
Today is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate women and note the progress we have taken in the technology industry.
The technology industry still has a way to go toward equality – particularly for women in leadership.
According to the ABS in 2020, the technology industry in Australia has 26% female participation which is lower than the 47% of female representation in the workforce in general.
A recent study in 2020 showed that Silicon Valley senior leadership roles were only held by 5% of women.
TOP BARRIERS:
According to the International Women’s Development Agency, there are four top barriers women face to enter leadership:
- Conservative beliefs around womens roles
- The threat of physical and sexual violence
- Structural inequality
- Lack of funding for women-led organisations
At Enable we are challenging the barriers and beliefs for female participation in technology roles and leadership in technology.
We are proud to have the following workforce:
- 27% of females in technical roles
- 50% of females in our most senior leadership roles in Australia
These senior female leaders represent diverse groups such as single mothers and women of colour, leading to inclusive perspectives, processes and policies at the very top of our organisation.
HOW ARE WE CREATING CHANGE:
At Enable, we know that women are more likely to ‘self-select’ out of leadership development programs and promotions at higher rates than their male colleagues in the middle layers of their careers.
Therefore, our leadership structures, succession planning and promotion processes are designed to remove these barriers for our future female leaders as they progress in their careers.
So how do we stack up against the tech giants of the world? Consider Microsoft: In October 2018, the company reported that women comprise 29.1 % of its workforce, but only 16.6% work in technical positions and just 23% hold leadership roles. Twitter said women fill 10 % of its technical jobs, with 21% percent in leadership. And women “Googlers” account for 17% of the search giant’s tech jobs, while only 21% manage others.
According to Forbes magazine, women influencing product development and business strategy — the two rungs at the top of the industry’s corporate ladder – is good for business. Studies show that companies with different points of view, insights and approaches to problem-solving have higher sales, more customers and larger market share than their less-diverse rivals.
At Enable, we strive to be a people-first business, and we know diversity and equality is good for business and good for each individual.
We are pleased to have a strong representation of female senior leaders and will continue to have programs to attract more females into our technical roles and to all leadership levels in our business to continue to create our competitive edge and opportunities for all.
To find out more about how you can support the IWDA and donate to help remove the barriers to women in leadership click here
Written by –
Rachel Sparkes
HEAD OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsparkes/