June 1, 2021 By: Khushboo Goplani
Ever since the feminist movement has started the fight for their equal right and opportunities against patriarchy has rolled the wheels for facilitating women empowerment. Although we have come a long way in empowering women to have equitable opportunities in all fields leading to the work landscape having a positive impact in the last decade, but the status of women is yet to be fully established. In the tech world this year, we saw women make their mark as nifty decision makers and as forerunners of change, a lot more needs to be achieved. According to Women-in-tech statistics for 2020, women hold only 20% of positions in the world. Globally, India is leading the way by having a steeping 43 percent of graduates as women in the science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) yet the women’s share in STEM jobs in India is a mere 14 percent.
Sans in-depth data and studies as well, we can easily spot that role of women in tech is not at par with that of men. When it comes to STEM, men virtually the overriding force and hold the majority of executive positions. In an attempt to rectify the situation, India amended The Companies Act in 2013 to ensure the appointment of at least one woman director by every listed company with high turnover. Owing to this development, the other companies have also followed suit and can be expected to have an open mind when it comes to having women lead companies to greater heights.
Regardless of the restricted opportunity for women, women empowerment in tech is about to take even more giant leaps ahead, the reason being the ever radical economy and its constant evolution. Women across all sectors and industries are strongly voicing their opinions and stepping ahead in contributing their expertise and knowledge. the step forward to drive women empowerment in tech is to recognize the problem, create awareness, upset the imbalance currently observed in the industry and set up a new perfectly balanced tech world.
Despite women empowerment being in its nascent stage currently, the tech industry is an extremely lucrative industry for women. If you’re looking for an industry with lots of opportunities, tech is the way to go. Women taking up jobs in the tech industry will be a channel to bridge the gender gap for this industry. In today’s keyed up industry, tech opportunities are not only limited to coding but have also extended to software engineering, cybersecurity, network administration, design, data analytics and much more.
In a male-dominated environment, it is a daunting yet common experience for women to make their point across or be talked over by someone else, here the management and their training come into place. It is important for companies to inculcate a habit of not just let the loudest voices be heard but to hear everybody and managers must encourage those at the table to use their voice. At JK Tech, we have created a supportive and co-existing environment promoting gender equality and celebrate gender diversity. We have established a culture driven by respect, compassion and collaboration to support our female workforce. We promote a behaviour in all our employees to allow a women’s voice to be heard in a discussion, if it’s a great idea, we champion her and ensure that she gets the due credit for her work. At JK Tech, we offer ample occasions for women as well as men to vocalize their ideas, concepts and build their networks.
Moreover, companies should encourage women to take a lead, taking a lead is not only a man’s trade. Women need to break this stereotype and should be encouraged by rewards. At JK Tech, we encourage women to take more risks and grab opportunities. We provide them with a platform to express themselves and showcase their skills and achieve astonishing heights.
When women speak up, they get noticed and awarded. For women to grow into leadership roles, it’s vital to mentor and champions them. As an implied result, growth is achieved by the employee and the company. JK Tech believes in mentoring women and has developed policies and goals to empower women throughout the company.
We at JK Tech believe that closing the gender technology gap means empowering women to access training and educational opportunities in STEM and we have focused on imparting education, equipping and empowering them with the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in STEM career fields. We also invest in learning and development programs and conduct functional training on a monthly and quarterly basis.
Furthermore, there are many more challenges in empowering women in the workplace. According to research conducted by PWC, 44% of the women feel anxious about the brunt of having a family will have on their career. Lower than 50% of women are unsatisfied by the ownership companies take for gender equality. Companies should focus on tackling these issues and creating a healthy environment that women feel encouraged to work in. It is crucial to ensure work-life balance to sustain their employees and improve their performance. At JK Tech, we make sure to provide the women employees flexibility in their work schedule and support them and help them figure out the right balance between their personal and professional life.
Women have always been path-breakers in STEM especially last year when women made their mark. Be it the women farmer protesting against the revolting anti-farmer laws, K.K. Shailaja Teacher or the amazing innovations of the adolescent Gitanjali Rao, an Indian- American scientist who was featured in the Time Magazine as the Kid of the year. Many more gems like Dr Priya Abraham, Professor Chandrima Shaha and Chitra Srinivasan, are an inspiration to women across the globe for achieving heights they are capable of.
Empowerment women in tech is an achievable goal in the near future given that equal efforts are taken by companies as well as women all across the world, it means that women make an effort to be heard and take charge and companies give them ample opportunity to achieve their potential, at JK Tech, we are looking forward to just the same.
