To say it’s been a frustrating few weeks at work is a bit of an understatement, if I’m being completely honest. Some recent feelings have included:

• Unsupported
• Underappreciated
• Overworked
• Stressed
• Frustrated
• Exhausted

But those feelings come with any job, not just a job in technology. And we all go through periods at work where things aren’t great. There are also lots of times where things really are good. So, the technology field sure isn’t special in that regard. However, today was different. Today, a peer of mine from another Bureau reached out and wanted to talk about women in technology related careers. She’s wanting to get a program started here that not only encourages other women to pursue careers in technology related fields, but also to support those women that are already in those careers. Let’s face it, it can be lonely being a woman in technology, so I am fully supportive of this initiative! And, without knowing it, this conversation was exactly what I needed to keep pushing through this frustrating time at work. At the same time, it also has me reflecting about being one of those women in a tech related field, about the struggles we face and how we all can improve.

Working in a male-dominated field isn’t a walk in the park – especially if you desire to be valued based on the skills you bring to the table (as you should). Now, those men reading this may disagree with that statement instantly and question its validity. Well, you’re a man, right? How would you know what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated field? Now, I absolutely believe you are entitled to your feelings, and I don’t want to discount those in any way. I realize we may disagree, which can produce healthy conversations, but I also know that I probably can’t change your thoughts or feelings. However, if you’re interested in hearing about my point of view, continue reading.

If you look around at technology related careers, it’s easy to see there are very few women in the grand scheme of things. So, why are there so few women? The way I see it, these are a few key reasons:

• The difference in how boys and girls are raised. [No, I’m not bashing your parenting skills by saying this.]
  • Let’s think about this in a different way. Your child is outside climbing a tree. As a parent, how do you react? Typically, the reaction for a young boy climbing a tree is something like “you’re so brave,” “great job,” or “see how high you can go!” Now, think about typical reactions for a young girl climbing the same tree. In many cases, the reactions are “be careful,” “don’t fall,” or “you’re going to hurt yourself.” Same aged child, same tree, vastly different reactions.
    
  • Whether we acknowledge it or not, we have these gender disparities in many things growing up. Ever heard the statement “boys are just better at math and science?” Without realizing it, even though these are things that have been said generation after generation, what we’re really doing is driving girls away from certain activities, areas of study, and careers before they even have a chance to think about what they want to do.

• There is a lack of mentorship available for women in technology. Duh! If there aren’t any women in technology, who are we supposed to look up to or use as a resource?

• In some organizations, women inevitably run into unsupportive work environments. This can take on many forms such as being asked about your desire or plan to have children, being criticized for trying to have a work-life balance with other interests and hobbies, being looked over for a promotion for a man who does the same work, etc. I’m not saying this happens everywhere, but we all know it’s still happening.

• Unequal pay. Yes, this still happens all the time. A woman doing the same job as a man will make less in many cases no matter where we work. Luckily, I haven’t run into this too much in my current position, but my Bureau Chief is a woman, and she fights hard for us.

Now that we have my thoughts about why there aren’t already more women in tech, we can move into the struggles many women in tech face in male-dominated work places.

• Being taken seriously. Yes, I’m being serious.
  • Ever heard of “mansplaining?” Yes, it is a constant for me to receive overexplained and oversimplified responses to questions from many men in my organization. This just baffles me some days. It’s kind of like talking to a really short person – you don’t change the way you speak to them because of their height, right? So, why would you change the way you speak just because you’re speaking to a woman?

• Having to think twice about how we come across in the eyes of others
  • Bitchy or assertive? Let me tell you, there is a very fine line here for women. Disagree? Think about this; how do you react if a woman is upset with you in the workplace? Now, compare that to if a man is upset with you over the same thing. In most cases, the woman is being bitchy while the man is being assertive and just expects more out of you.
  • Competent or not? It seems like a constant battle of having to prove we’re competent in our position, no matter how long we’ve been there. I’ve been in my position for just under 5 years now, have been promoted to being a business intelligence technical lead, and dubbed the “Tableau expert” of our organization, yet still get questioned nearly daily on decisions I make regarding what I’m supposed to know the most about.

• Double standards. I’m going to give you a few examples here. Again, this shouldn’t imply that this happens everywhere, or with every man, but it happens enough to make the list.
  • Asking questions
    • From my experience, in many cases when women ask questions, it is viewed as challenging authority and criticizing knowledge rather than as a legitimate question, constructive feedback or idea gathering. If a man were to ask the same question, it would be acknowledged right away without further thought.
  • Women are assessed on our performance, while the men on their potential
    • This adds on to the previous thought of having to prove our competence. I can run circles around my peers but have had to work extremely hard to be where I’m at while they can watch YouTube and play games all day. Guess what? In some cases, those men still make more money than I do.
  • Jokes
    • Men in tech are used to being surrounded by other men, so the jokes flying around are less than appropriate most of the time. There are jokes about women, kids, sex, you name it. This doesn’t change when women come into the picture. In most cases, it’s just ignored that you’re around, and the jokes are still made regardless of how you might feel about them. The “boys club” doesn’t end just because women are around. Unfortunately, you learn to ignore all of them.

OK, I’m done sharing my perspective of the current environment of women in tech. I don’t want to scare women off, but it needs to be said at the same time. So, now what? How do we move forward and improve? While I don’t have all the answers, I do want to make a conscious effort on my own to help other women around me, and I’ve come up with a list of things that all women should do, regardless of profession:

• Stop apologizing
• Be thick-skinned and brush it off
• Be true to yourself
• Find a female mentor
• Collaborate with others
• Take calculated risks
• Stand up for your work
  • Know your value
  • Call out those who are not taking you seriously
• Become a life-long learner
• Turn your questions into statements
• Find your own voice
• Don’t compare yourself to others
• Be fearless

Let me say that last one again… Be fearless!

Now, to wrap things up, there has to be a way to attract more women into technical jobs. Organizations across the world should be finding ways to do this. But, since I have no control over that, I’ll say what I believe needs to start happening:

• Increase awareness. What I mean by this is that when people think of technology related jobs, they automatically think of programmers and developers. This isn’t the case. We need to highlight the wide range of career possibilities within tech to help promote all that it can entail. Not everyone wants to write code, and that’s totally fine! But we need to show that’s not what we all do.
• Provide good role models. I don’t think this needs explaining. As a woman in tech, I will strive to be that role model for someone.
• Support new pathways that help to create access for women. This can come as equal opportunities for growth and development, ensuring you have at least one woman on all interview panels, or ensuring you interview at least one woman for each open position. Creating that pathway will lead to greater access all-around.
• Be active. Be someone’s role model. Be someone’s mentor. Support the people around you, men and women alike. When we work together, we can do anything. We can all do better.