The digital tech industry is doing well. Really well. In 2020, the UK tech sector raised $15 billion, the third highest venture capital investment in the world, behind only the US and China.  Even though the COVID-19 pandemic was completely uncharted territory for businesses, this particular sector weathered the storm well. Indeed, a new report by Tech Nation revealed that tech job opportunities have hit a 10-year high.. 

This is all promising stuff, but while the industry itself is thriving, the same can’t necessarily be said for women in tech, representation of women in technology is changing, but it is still far from equivalent to that of men in the sector. In fact, during one job interview, a tech employee told me I was the first female developer he’d met!

Women in tech: stats

The reality is that this sector evolves and progresses at lightning speed – but not when it comes to closing the gender gap. At the very top of the UK tech space, a mere 3% of Chief Technology Officers or Technical Director roles are held by women, while just 26% of UK tech specialists are female. It’s a similar story in the US. Let’s consider Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft: women make up only a quarter of America’s top five tech companies. 

So, what gives? First, women have always been underrepresented in STEM in general. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are traditionally male-dominated fields and girls are still less likely to study STEM subjects at school and university. It’s an instance where the stats really do say it all. Tech is a sector where early engagement is crucial, and only 16% of females (as opposed to 33% of males) report being encouraged to consider a career in technology. So, it’s no surprise that just 3% of females aspire to a career in tech, in spite of the vast growth this industry is seeing.  

But what about women who are already in the tech sphere? There are worrying reports of harassment, despite the efforts of the #MeToo movement. A study by non-profit organisation Women Who Tech found that no less than 41% of female tech firm founders have experienced sexual harassment at work. 

Meanwhile, many other women report having worked in a tech company with a pervasive ‘bro culture’. They might not have dealt with out-and-out harassment, but they’ve experienced other forms of hostility in mostly-male work environments which can foster misogyny and gender discrimination. They may have found themselves sidelined by their male colleagues, had their professional capabilities called into question, or been overlooked for promotion. Former Pinterest COO Francoise Brougher even coined a phrase for this: ‘She’s Not Strategic’ (SNS) syndrome. 

Making the tech industry more welcoming for women

Clearly, there are cultural problems in this sector which need to change. Women won’t want to get into – or stay in – the tech sphere if they don’t feel respected or valued. But there are also certain practical considerations that can make digital tech a more welcoming space for women. We’re talking pay parity and benefits that work for women – both crucial if we’re to see more women pursuing and progressing in digital tech. 

The introduction of mandatory gender pay gap reporting has certainly helped matters. But beyond that, many tech firms just aren’t prioritising the right measures to attract and retain female talent – perhaps precisely because the sector is so male-dominated in the first place. But there’s no getting away from it. From flexible working and post-maternity support to women-led tech workshops and events, female-focused initiatives and policies are a serious consideration for the majority of women when it comes to choosing a potential employer. 

Organic’s own measures 

So, what are we doing to address the issue, redress the balance, and attract, retain and support women at our digital agency? Pay parity is already a given at Organic, and we’ve been careful to nurture a company culture where female talent is respected and valued. From my perspective, I haven’t felt at all disadvantaged since working at Organic; the ‘bro culture’ simply doesn’t exist. 

We’re now in a position where 50% of our senior management team are female, and we have a greater proportion of women at Organic than we did this time last year (up from 35% to 41%). And this isn’t about us simply filling a quota – there’s a body of evidence to show that a better gender balance is “strongly connected with positive business performance”. 

However, while we’re on the right track when it comes to striking this balance, our maternity policy and our female-focused workplace benefits needed updating. Because it’s all very well us hiring outstanding women, but we want our female talent to stay with us in the long-term too. 

That’s why we’ve enhanced our maternity and adoption package. It goes without saying that this is a huge consideration for many prospective parents when it comes to their chosen workplace, and a good maternity or adoption package provides reassuring financial security. 

But having the right support upon returning to work is important too – particularly as a third of women consider handing in their notice once they come back. So, we’ve focused on two things here: flexibility and progression. 

Flexibility is already embedded in Organic’s company culture. We know our people have busy home lives, family commitments, and a rigid 9-5 working day just won’t always work. But we’re also aware that flexibility is especially essential for new parents. 

So, from work schedule changes to fit around childcare responsibilities, through to actively supporting homeworking and holding monthly check-in sessions to review hours, we’ve implemented measures to ensure our employees can work for us in a way that works for them. 

We’ve also taken steps to prioritise our employees’ progression. Lots of women worry that taking maternity or adoption leave will set them back on the career front. But not at Organic. Something we’ve introduced is “Career Mapping”, which takes a longer term view of our teams life and career aspirations, and builds a mutually beneficial path in the short and medium term to reaching these. Having these very open and honest conversations helps us to better shape our teams training and development, whilst hopefully creating a more fulfilling, rewarding and supportive place to work.

Plus, we’ve also got an entirely separate training budget that’s set aside for new parents, so they can make up for time they’ve taken out on parental leave. 

Digital tech is on the up, and having the right measures in place helps more women enter into and succeed in this flourishing, increasingly significant sector. In turn, that creates an industry that’s more balanced, inclusive and universally appealing.