Over half say tech companies have bad reputation when it comes to gender equality
Despite recent efforts by technology companies to improve gender equality and parity in the workplace, an increasing number of women in Canada feel the negative reputation of the tech industry is still reality.
That’s according to a survey released by SAP Canada that found nearly half (43 per cent) of female students and young professionals don't believe tech companies really want to hire women.
Over half (54 per cent) say that technology companies have a bad reputation when it comes to gender equality, found the survey of 758 women between the ages of 15 and 23.
"Young women are hesitating on even considering a career in technology because they don't believe technology companies sincerely want to give them a chance," says Kim Gastle, vice president of SAP Canada.
"We want to shine a light on this issue and raise this concern because we recognize that a well-rounded workforce brings together stronger ideas. When we have diversity in our teams, we can reflect our customers better, come up with a greater mix of ideas and spur innovation. A career in technology can provide many opportunities and anyone should be able to benefit from this."
About one-third (35 per cent) of women who have chosen an area of focus have chosen STEM for future studies or their career, found the survey (no equivalent number was given for men).
And 48 per cent of women say they don't know how to develop the skills required for a career in tech.
"While the tech sector has made strides advocating for increased diversity, more work still needs to be done creating environments where women feel valued and represented," says Jodi Kovitz, CEO of #movethedial. "If we do not take the time to thoughtfully engage and retain women in tech, we risk creating tech solutions and ecosystems that cater to a single homogenous group. It is imperative that we illustrate to young women that tech is for them, they can excel in it and that their contributions are an integral part of the industry's continued success."
