Career Ladder for Women in Tech: Latest Trends and Research

Have your efforts as an empowered woman in tech garnered heightened respect in a male-dominated field? New statistics and trends revealed women's impact in the tech sector and how much closer you are to obtaining equity and equality.

How optimistic can you be that gender discrimination will one day be a figment of the past?

The Glass Ceiling Became a Broken Ladder

Even though gender equality has become more commonplace as teams hire more women in the industry, it’s mostly for entry-level positions with little room for growth.

The women coming in have little to no guidance or encouragement to advance.

That’s how the broken rung of the ladder metaphor became more relevant than the glass ceiling — you may have noticed it’s a trend for promotion opportunities to be practically nonexistent.

The women in tech discussion cannot be acknowledged without analyzing it through the lens of intersectional feminism.

All women face resistance in tech, but women of color have an even more difficult time ascending the career ladder. 2022 was a year of minimal advances. As you try to climb, society must fix the rungs for success.

The Biggest Companies Remain Unbalanced

Women dominate almost half the job market, yet the most powerful tech companies refuse to meet that standard.

Amazon, Apple, and Facebook only have an average of 34.4% women in their workforce and most are in entry-level jobs — especially women of color.

These women are in lower positions of power, overworked, and under more pressure than their male counterparts to “prove themselves.”

STEM jobs need to eliminate the male label it’s chosen as their branding to help you within the industry and back those aspiring to enter it.

The sector will lack a precedent if the most influential companies don’t adjust their mentalities now, deterring future generations of women from entering tech.

We’re already seeing this trend with what degrees girls choose to obtain. Engineering, computer science, and physics all have less than 22% of women entrants.

Sectors Still Conform to Gender Stereotypes

You can only progress with company support, such as regular career and goals check-ins and chances to obtain more diverse skills.

The old perspective suggests giving additional benefits provides an unfair advantage.

These colossal corporations remain stuck in antiquated business models, refusing to meet basic needs that allow you to advance with no resistance. Corporations should offer:

• Generous and equal paternity and maternity leave

• Adaptable hours to support work-life balance

• Ongoing learning and mentorship opportunities

Many management teams implementing these statutes could level the playing field, but acquisition and hiring can also contribute.

It’s time companies analyze their hiring practices and jump on the bandwagon of unconscious bias training.

Active reflection on hiring and promotion tendencies can show whether a company leans on the white male demographic intentionally or not.

Eliminating this mental block from the equation could get more eligible women in specialized and upper-level roles, increasing their skill sets and technical expertise. 

Treatment like this has a trickle effect, removing microaggressions from the rest of the workplace, such as resentment for women staff being accused of lacking knowledge.

COVID-19 Aftermath Forces the Hands of Women

Though company culture is the workplace buzzphrase of the century, businesses attempted to instill prominent values and attitudes as teams remain remote post-pandemic.

Worker standards didn’t just become higher — they became practical. 

COVID-19 may have changed how you operate, from managing burnout and a work-life balance to taking time off from workplace arm-twisting.

However, it was even harder to find balance. Working from home made women even more invisible from the physical office space.

Plus, many were compelled to conform to toxic gender norms of homemakers and caregivers for children undergoing remote learning.

It’s harmful because society pressures you to put your career on hold.

Only 29.1% of S&P 500 companies have women in executive positions — and this isn’t just in tech organizations. The number would be much lower if those were separated, especially now as countless women exit the workforce.

Focus On Hiring Potential, Not Gender

Companies need to look at hiring trends if they want to remain competitive. Businesses must move to train talent acquisition staff for unbiased recruiting focused on competency and potential.

Fixing the “broken rung” means dismissing gender and prioritizing work ethic and what the individual can bring to the company. 

Shifting industry mindsets in this way can promote more organic hiring practices and internal growth. In a supportive environment, your ascension to management-level and C-suite positions will incite a shift in the tech sector — overcoming countless years of unnecessary discriminatory barriers.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/07/08/it-is-essential-that-we-pave-a-road-for-women-in-tech-heres-how/

https://www.mathschool.com/blog/parent-resources/when-it-comes-to-girls-and-stem-learning-environment-matters 

https://www.ngcproject.org/resources/state-girls-and-women-stem 

https://www.womenintech.co.uk/address-unconscious-bias-workplace 

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-08-18/pandemic-pushes-moms-to-scale-back-or-quit-their-careers 

https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-united-states-workforce/