Five ways to empower women in technology

Everyone in the industry can do something to improve its gender imbalance

The tech sector contributes more than £134bn to the UK economy each year and is growing more than one and a half times faster than all other sectors. According to the Open University, 88 per cent of UK organisations admit they have a shortage of digital skills. Getting more girls into tech now isn't a 'nice to have', it's a necessity.

On the plane home from a recent tech conference, I was seated next to Alexa, a young girl who was studying to be a web developer. Like many young people today, she told me that her greatest career aspiration was to make a positive contribution to the world. She explained that she had been studying medicine, and wanted to become a doctor, as it would potentially enable her to save hundreds of lives during her career. However, she came to the conclusion that if she developed a career in technology, she could code a life-saving piece of software that could save millions.

Alexa's story showed me that to draw more girls to tech, we need to help them understand that it's about much more than coding. It's about using technology to improve lives.

However, there's a basic hurdle to overcome. Not everyone has access to technology and crucially, many lack the confidence to try. This seems especially true of girls. According to WISE, in 2018 girls made up only 20 per cent of entrants to the computing GCSE, and only 26 per cent of students graduating in the UK with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) degrees were female.

Thankfully Alexa is paving the way for the next generation of women in technology. She prompted me to think about how I can make it easier for girls to pursue technology as a career. I soon realised I was far from alone. There are many social enterprises and non-profit groups such as Stemettes, DevelopHer, WISE, and Code First: Girls, which are working to redress the balance. These organisations help introduce girls to more female role models like Alexa. They provide them with opportunities to acquire the core STEM skills that make talented techies.

CDW has partnered with Stemettes to help run one of their hackathons, in which girls aged five to 21 will receive guidance on how to code. This is one approach, but in our quest as a business to encourage girls to take up STEM skills, we've found many others.

The following are five ways that you and your organisation can partner with charities to help them help us all get a little bit closer to true gender equality:

1. HOST: If you have a large meeting space, host events. As a bonus, provide the catering too. That's where we've started with Stemettes. It is an immediate way to get more females into the tech environment. We hope some will come back to us at a later stage when they enter their careers.
2. MENTORSHIP: If you're a woman or man in the industry, you have a lot to offer in the form of your experiences and insights. Connect with charities to get involved in mentorship schemes for young women, particularly those who might not otherwise have access to people like you.
3. AMPLIFY: Networks are at the heart of business. We have customers, contractors, suppliers, technology partners - the list goes on. Within your community, use your social media platforms to help get the name of your partner out there for all to see. If you're already following step two and mentoring, why not introduce your mentee to some of your network?
4. SPEAK OUT: Many groups aiming to improve the representation of women have speaker lists - use them. Add your speakers to them. Share them with the organisers of any events you're participating with. We need to change the diversity of most speaking slots at events, and these charities can help.
5. COLLABORATE: Groups that are looking to increase the representation of women in tech are spearheaded by smart people. Get them involved. Whether it's planning your next big event, strategy, or communications, having someone in the know to tell you how to incorporate more women can only be a good thing. It's fine not to know how it might work, but the help is there.

This list is just a start. By partnering with those who are paving the way for women in technology, perhaps we can help inspire girls and women like Alexa, to change the world for the better. A generation who were shown they were capable of whatever they put their minds to, and that every single one of them had the power to make a difference.

Yvonne Matzk is director of partners and marketing at CDW