According to recent research and reports, women remain under-represented in the IT industry, especially in technical leadership roles. The gender gap for women in technical roles is more pronounced, with only 52 women being promoted to manager for every 100 men, and gender bias is the top obstacle preventing tech women from moving into leadership positions.
Despite the challenges, there is recognition that a diverse workforce is good for business. Moreover, diverse teams perform better and are more innovative. Therefore, there is a growing effort in the tech industry to shape a prosperous future by being more representative of that future through a more diverse workforce, by gender, race, age, and other social factors.
In Bangladesh, the digital economy has rapidly grown, and the country has become the second-largest supplier of online labour globally. Women in Bangladesh have played a vital role in the economic sphere, especially in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, according to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
However, it is observed that women's representation in technical roles in the Bangladesh IT industry is a concern. Gender bias is the top obstacle preventing tech women from moving into leadership positions, as the IT industry has been known for its gender gap in the workforce, especially when it comes to leadership positions.
The technology industry has made progress in gender diversity and women's representation in leadership positions, but there is still work to be done. However, there are some positive signs of progress in the industry's efforts to close the gap.
According to a Deloitte Global report, it was predicted that large global technology firms would reach nearly 33% overall female representation in their workforces in 2022, up slightly more than 2% from 2019. Additionally, the proportion of women in leadership roles at large global tech firms was expected to increase by more than 4% since 2019, with roughly one in four leadership roles held by women in 2022.
Women in the IT industry face several challenges in their careers. To overcome these challenges, female graduates can take several steps to help develop their careers in the IT industry.
First, women in technical roles should receive support and sponsorship from senior leaders and mentors to help them progress to leadership positions. According to a report by McKinsey, only 52 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men at the same level, making it crucial for women to receive support and sponsorship from senior leaders in the organization.
Second, educators and parents must work together to help girls maintain their confidence and curiosity in computer science from a young age. According to the American Association of University Women, negative connotations around women in computer science must be removed to reverse the declining trend of women in computer science-related professions. Educators and parents must work together to support girls and encourage them to pursue careers in computer science and related fields.
Third, female graduates in the IT industry should also have access to opportunities to develop their skills and expertise. Organizations can offer training and development programs to help women develop their technical skills and prepare them for leadership positions. This would help address the gender gap in STEM fields, where men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college.
Though women in the IT industry still face significant challenges, the IT industry still has work to do to ensure gender equity and equal opportunities for women in the field.
While there have been efforts to increase gender diversity in the IT industry, women remain under-represented in leadership roles in the tech sector globally, including in Bangladesh. Nonetheless, the importance of diverse teams and the recognition of the value of women in the workforce can lead to better representation in the future.
Nasrin Pervin is a senior lecturer at the Department of English and Modern Languages, North South University, Bangladesh.