Gender Gap in the 21st century. Yup! The ood part though, it’s getting smaller and we hope the time will come when we don’t need to celebrate International Women’s Month because there’s equality.
Less than 2% of tech teams included women. At Symph, we’re making a conscious effort to find women who are talented, passionate, creative, and problem solvers.
Here’s what our Full Stack Developers and UI/UX Designers have to say about women empowerment, women in tech, voicing out, and more this International Women’s Month celebration.
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“Ignore the expectations of society telling you that you can’t. Just keep your head high and keep on excelling in your career. Take each challenge day by day so you can be the best version of yourself. Don’t limit yourself because there are so many possibilities in tech and eventually, you will find where you really want to be.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“It’s all about giving women more opportunities and options. It’s about believing women can do great and be great. It’s about giving them respect in what they do and actually seeing women as a proper human being. It’s about not putting them in a box and not letting our biases assume what they can and can’t do. It’s about those and so much more. Because being a woman is amazing.”
How can we avoid being sexist to other women?
“Be aware of your biases. Be open to conversation surrounding women’s problems because problems affecting women can affect everyone in turn. Think of a woman close to you — your mother, sister or friend — and think about the way you currently treat other women and girls. Would you say or do the same thing to the women dear to you? Actually listen to these women and understand…don’t ever assume.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“Honestly, personally I haven’t really encountered any form of discrimination in tech. I’m grateful as this might not be the case for everyone but so far, everyone is just very eager to learn and gender biases don’t really matter that much here. Everyone is just their own person, with their own set of problems. Thinking that you may be different just because you’re a woman is the least of their concerns to be honest.”
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions especially in a male-dominated industry?
“Just do it. If you feel like what you can bring to the table would benefit the team and everyone else, then why hesitate? Being vocal and raising concerns in a group setting might be uncomfortable at first but that’s a first step towards being confident with your ideas and creating a conversation with your teammates, hopefully for the betterment of your project, and that’s all that matters in the end”
How does your life or journey at Symph help you break the bias?
“Symph has been a very inspiring place to work in as I’ve been seeing so much diversity not only in gender, but also in age. We have people breaking the bias of being too young to lead projects and create decisions for the team, or working and taking care of your child at the same time, etc. There is such a great variety of people who are not afraid to speak out their opinions and ideas and who don’t judge you for yours, that I think just being around these bright and passionate individuals helps me realize so much about biases in the workplace and in life that I haven’t really thought about before.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“As a young woman living my passion in the tech industry, I can say that the burning passion we have will always lead to success. Never limit yourself because of stereotypes, continue aiming for excellence and keep that fire burning. “
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions especially in a male-dominated industry?
“Be confident. Speak-up. Never second-guess yourself and always consider how you deliver your ideas.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“Never be afraid of entering this kind of industry because being in the tech industry doesn’t care which gender you are in, we are all humans who can think and work the same as men and it is nothing to worry about. Just do whatever you want and don’t let gender hinder you from doing or making your own decisions.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment is supporting women to do things they want, men stereotyped or not as long as it makes them happy. It is giving them the freedom of their own choices and having the equal opportunities and rights that men have.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment is allowing women to do what they want to do with their lives, without judgment, as long as it does not affect other people badly. They want to be a housewife, go, we’ll cheer for them! They want to become a career woman and be a CEO in the future, you go girl!”
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions especially in a male-dominated industry?
“Speak up and if they give sexist or misogynistic remarks as a response, call them out. “
How have women in tech made a difference?
“The world’s first computer programmer was a woman. The first to record a real computer bug was a woman. The inventor of WiFi was a woman. So many women are building, inspiring, and excelling in this field. No wonder women play a huge part in the success and the future of tech.”
With technologies that keep popping up every week how do you keep abreast with learnings and skills development?
“Adapting to change is always a challenge. I may not always be motivated to learn new tech and solve problems, but the idea of building something that brings impact and smile to other people is already enough reason for me to keep going. For resources? Google is your friend!”
How have women in tech made a difference?
“Women by nature are fueled by creativity and endless opportunity to tap on their brainstorming skills, coming from someone who’s a walking proof; not only it is visible in the tech industry but in every industry made known to society, they constantly innovate and challenge norms breaking away from conventional which standardizes the way of living, in other words, women bring color to our shades, they present us the spectrum which made a difference to our lives.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“Follow what makes you passionate and always pursue being better in one's output, avoid being too intensely competitive, and always be reminded of your core, your purpose, and how you can improve people’s lives. with this mentality, You can always accomplish your goals as long as you put your mind and grit to them, regardless of what gender you belong to.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment is giving women the respect, opportunities, support, freedom, and tools to be able to pursue and explore what they want in life.”
With new technology keeps popping up every week how do you keep abreast with learnings and skills development?
“It can get a bit overwhelming sometimes but I find that what works for me is to remind myself of my niche and goal. Specifically, I like to read articles, books, watch videos online, and when applicable I try to apply learnings through hands-on practices or personal projects. The internet is a trove of information and there is a lot of great content out there.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“For me, women empowerment means giving power to someone who lacks it. I believe that women have always been strong and the strength is and has always been inside them. All they have to do is to disregard all gender norms, choose the path they want to take, and be themselves.”
How have women in tech made a difference?
“Women in the software industry have helped to dispel the notion that only men can handle technical work. Women have shown value not only in technical expertise but also in bringing a diverse set of perspectives to the table. Collaboration between people of different genders, sexual orientations, nationalities, and races can improve problem-solving and innovation.”
Do you feel there’s a gender gap in the tech industry? How do you solve this?
“Absolutely, especially in western companies. I think the only effective way to close the gap is to hire more women and put them in leadership positions. Not only will it give them power to sponsor initiatives and represent diverse opinions, but also inspire fellow women to come forward and lead.”
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions especially in a male-dominated industry?
“Everyone should be able to voice their opinions and ideas regardless of their gender. It’s quite sad when women feel like they have to act a certain way just to be heard. I always speak what’s on my mind and make sure the other person receives it the way I intend to. If that still doesn’t work, then I can’t really control how people perceive me, so I’m just going to do me and be my awesome self!”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“The industry is starting to realize how valuable diversity is and will try to hire more women in the coming years. It’s the best time right now to enter the industry. Surround yourself with a strong support system and pay it forward by mentoring and supporting fellow women. We got this ladies!”
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment for me is promoting that women’s worth and autonomy is as equal to any human being.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“My advice to all my fellow women regardless of industry is to speak their mind however do choose your battles. In addition and specific to the tech industry or male-dominated industries - don’t let the numbers predetermine your capabilities.”
Enjoyed this story? Read about our female project managers here. Interested to be part of the team? Join us!
