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More work to be done to increase gender diversity
Senior industry figures have called for more diversity on International Women's Day
The tech industry has come a long way to establish a more balanced workforce but there are calls for more action on International Women's Day.
Scanning across an audience at most industry events the make up still largely remains male, middle aged and white and many of the speakers on stage reflect back that demographic.
There are increasing numbers of women in senior channel and vendor management roles but there is a feeling that there should be many more and education will play a key role attracting more girls into the industry along with efforts made by employers.
"This isn’t just an education problem – only 3% of ICT graduates worldwide are women. It is a problem for employers, too. The more diverse the STEM workforce, the higher the levels of innovation and creativity. This is especially important considering the role of technological and scientific developments in our everyday lives – and the impact on our social and personal wellbeing," said Cheryl Willis, Senior Director, NetApp EMEA Services & Support.
"It is promising to see a more holistic view on women in tech being established, through conversations around gender bias within the industry and a growing understanding of barriers to career progression," she added.
Lynn Collier, COO UK&I at Hitachi Vantara, said that it was also important for women to be in leadership positions to underline the possibilities and inspire more female participation in the industry.
"Visibility is crucial: women in positions of leadership within technology companies of all sizes need to shout about their achievements, position themselves as thought leaders within the industry and inspire their peers and the future generations of women to seek opportunities in tech and working with tech," she said.
"Too often, discussion panels, keynote speeches and big tech events are still devoid of female representatives – we must drive change to reflect the rich diversity of our communities and customers and tap into a creative, energetic and enthusiastic well of talent waiting to be discovered," she added.
