It is clear that software is here to stay, yet according to the latest analysis from Women in Science and Engineering (Wise) of UK labour market statistics, women make up just 12.8% of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workforce. The proportion had increased by only 0.2 percentage points since their analysis in 2012. Half of all gamers are women - but only four percent code them. Only seven of the richest 100 tech billionaires are female.
This gender imbalance means the industry, and the UK as a whole, is missing opportunities for greater growth, innovation and success. According to Belinda Parmar's 'Little Miss Geek', tech companies with women on their management teams have a 34% higher return on investment.
It's pretty clear that we should be redressing this disparity and there are three key areas we need to focus on to make software development more attractive to women.
Firstly, make STEM education more relevant to girls
Teachers are vital in making young people recognise how the science, design & technology, computer science, engineering and mathematics that they study can lead to interesting and varied careers.
By reaching beyond the classroom, teachers and lecturers can inspire young people to relate school STEM subjects to real-life experience. Effective and inspiring teachers, sufficiently supported, are vital to raising students’ enjoyment of, enthusiasm for, and achievement in STEM subjects.
If girls do not take an interest in STEM at school, then it is much less likely that they will work in IT, particularly in the more technical roles. Computer programming is now taught to all children from the age of five and hopefully this will encourage more girls to study STEM. If the subject matter is made more appealing and relevant to girls then so much the better.
BBC Three has recently launched a programme “Girls Can Code" that will aim to redress science’s gender imbalance. It intends to shatter the myth that computer sciences, engineering and coding are only for "the boys" and prove that girls have something new and different to offer these disciplines. The show, part of the BBC's 'Make it Digital' initiative, will scour the country to find six girls with a “hidden talent for the science and technology of computer coding”. Those chosen to take part will then be presented with a series of programming challenges. It's a competition and, for one eventual winner, a whole new career will be on the table. “No one will be more surprised than them to discover that many of the skills they use on a daily basis in their current lines of work are exactly the kind needed for a successful career in computer science.”
Secondly, we need role models
Let's celebrate the current female role models within technology industries and help girls to understand that a career in these fields can be rewarding, successful and exciting. Let's engender the response "If they (the boys) can do it, why not me?" TV celebrity Carole Vorderman, a Cambridge engineering graduate and qualified pilot has recently landed a role on the board of directors for space science education. She has always championed the role of women in science.
Lastly, retention and progression
Unfortunately a great many of the women who enter the technology industry also leave it, either to have a family or to move to a different career, and do not return. This problem is common of course to other careers but some of the particular issues here are:
-
a lack of flexibility from some employers
-
feeling 'out of place' and isolated as one of few women on the team
-
feeling undervalued.
Flexible working patterns and assigning mentors can make a big difference, as can encouraging attendance at female tech networking events. All the research shows that women are keen to remain with their current employers longer than their male counterparts, so it's definitely worth the investment in encouraging them to stay.
Sources
- http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk
- http://www.develop-online.net/news/girls-can-code-aims-to-inspire-new-generation-of-coders/0204264
- http://womeninstem.co.uk/tackling-the-gender-imbalance
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06cnbbc
- http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/eileen-oamara/how-can-we-better-tackle-_b_6179346.html