Employers and HR have a responsibility to show young people that diversity is not only possible at the highest levels of tech, but vital for strong and effective teams. Yvonne Bernard, chief technology officer at Hornetsecurity, shares her personal experience and outlines how HR can make a difference.
Science and technology have traditionally been viewed as fields better suited to men. In many parts of the world, girls are subtly, or sometimes overtly, steered away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers by teachers, parents, and societal expectations.
To address this, we should address workplace barriers, but that alone isn’t enough. For lasting change, we need to go beyond support systems in professional settings and challenge the ingrained biases that continue to limit women’s participation in technology, starting as early as preschool.
Despite there being more young women than men in tertiary education, a study conducted by UNESCO found that women make up only 35 percent of STEM graduates. Having more women in tech will not only create a more inclusive industry but also help close the skills gap. That shift should begin early and make STEM subjects attractive, accessible and available to all.
Attitudes in an individual’s community still significantly influence a person’s decision to enter a specific industry or pursue certain subjects. Businesses, particularly global ones, have a key responsibility to recognise where these biases begin and work with schools or organisations to show young people that diversity can exist and thrive at some of the highest levels of tech.
As part of this, encouraging more young women to pursue STEM is an important first step. However, another set of challenges remains prevalent in the tech industry, and it often appears within the hiring stages.
Workplace barriers for women in tech
Effective teams are built like strong cybersecurity systems: layered, resilient and diverse. Yet, women only fill a quarter of UK tech roles. How can we create diverse tech solutions if we have homogeneous teams? We must remember that people, not companies, create solutions.
Bias can infiltrate HR processes, leading to non-diverse teams that run the risk of ‘group-think’ and reduce creativity and innovation due to a lack of differing perspectives.
Historically, tech companies have leaned on a formulaic approach to hiring employees, using rigid job descriptions. Such a one-dimensional approach can be detrimental, as hiring similar people with similar gender, ethnicity, background, and life experiences can create an echo chamber of thoughts. While candidates must prove their capabilities, rigid recruitment descriptions and processes mean companies may miss out on exceptional talent. Such a cookie-cutter approach is best avoided.
The need for inclusivity should also extend beyond hiring practices to workplace policies. Flexible work arrangements, whether through hybrid working or comprehensive parental leave policies, aren’t just perks; they’re a means to shape a workplace that attracts and retains diverse talent.
I’ve seen first-hand that when people feel seen, empowered, understood and heard, they invest more in their work. The benefits of a diverse workforce are wide-ranging. This is not about pandering to different groups; it’s about having a team culture that welcomes diversity and the synergy this brings.
How can the tech industry better support women?
Providing effective mentorship programmes can be extremely beneficial to address systemic bias. These could begin in secondary or tertiary education if companies invest in initiatives of this kind, but mentorship is just as valuable for employees navigating career growth.
My own journey at Hornetsecurity, from secretary to CTO, was made possible through mentorship by our CEO Daniel Hofmann. The insights I gained into business strategy and management working with him were invaluable, helping me progress to head of product management and later CTO in 2021. It was an opportunity to engage in executive-level decisions, which complemented my scientific academic background and tech research. As a result, I highly recommend these sorts of programmes.
Having an open and inclusive culture, using diverse hiring panels, and applying non-gendered evaluation criteria are also immensely helpful. This approach attracts a wider talent pool and builds a more inclusive, dynamic and innovative company. Senior management has a responsibility to ensure talent is recognised based on skill and potential and not outdated stereotypes or biases. This is essential because diverse teams bring inherent value and technological advancements to our sector.
The tech industry is still male-dominated, but I am glad to see that there are positive changes when it comes to women’s representation. The women I work with and meet are not intimidated by this gender disparity but are typically agnostic towards gender stereotypes. A common approach tends to be to enjoy the path they have chosen and aim to excel in it. The combined example of successful women in tech serves to encourage and empower others and enhances their confidence, something we can build and develop through our shared responsibility to our communities and employees.
