How can companies support women in tech roles?
Learn how companies can support women in tech by encouraging inclusivity, promoting mentorship, ensuring pay equity, and more. Discover actionable steps to create a more supportive, diverse, and innovative tech environment.
Creating a more inclusive tech industry isn’t a case of “doing the right thing”, it’s essential for accelerating innovation and expanding perspectives. While women continue to enter STEM fields in growing numbers, they seem to focus commonly identified challenges. By building supportive environments, organisations can help women thrive in tech roles and retain their talent. Let’s explore a few ways companies can support women in tech.
Written by
Polly is a Marketing Executive at Learning People, bringing extensive expertise in professional training and career development, including in-demand fields like data, tech, cyber security, cloud computing, project management, and business skills.
Commit to inclusive hiring practices
One of the most valuable steps a company can take to support women in tech is to build an inclusive hiring process. This involves using gender-neutral language in job postings, clearly defining required skills versus "nice-to-haves," and ensuring that hiring panels include diverse perspectives. Companies can also proactively seek talent from underrepresented backgrounds through partnerships with organisations focused on gender diversity in tech. By making these adjustments, companies open the door to a broader, more diverse pool of applicants, creating a pathway for qualified women and gender-diverse professionals to join their teams.
Offer mentorship and sponsorship programmes
Mentorship and sponsorship can be great for professional development, especially for women who might feel isolated in tech industry workplaces. Mentorship provides guidance and support, while sponsorship goes a step further by advocating for mentees in meetings or suggesting them for high-visibility projects. These programmes give employees access to mentors who can provide valuable career insights and advocate for them at key moments.
Ensure equal access to leadership development opportunities
Access to leadership development is essential for career progression. Companies can make it easier for women in tech to rise to leadership roles by providing access to training, leadership programmes, and development funds. Google’s Women@Google group is an example of this in action, offering mentoring and networking events across the organisation.
Provide flexible work arrangements
Offering flexible work options, such as remote work and flexitime, is valuable in making tech workplaces more inclusive for women, as may need to balance caregiving responsibilities. Salesforce is a notable example of a company leading in this area, with flexible work policies that support all employees in achieving work-life balance. When flexibility is a normalised option, it helps break down barriers that have previously made tech roles less accessible for women.
Promote pay equity
Women in tech often feel frustrated by the disparity in salaries, and it’s essential that organisations tackle this head-on. Conducting regular pay audits to identify any discrepancies and making salary bands transparent can be effective in addressing pay inequity. Adobe, as a great example, made headlines by achieving pay parity for women and men in similar roles, setting an industry standard. Companies can follow Adobe’s lead by being proactive in bridging pay gaps.
Allyship
Workplaces that value allyship help create an environment where women, amongst other marginalised communities, in tech feel like their employers and colleagues have their backs. This goes beyond policies and involves actively encouraging employees at all levels to be allies. Internal training can help employees to recognise their own and others’ gender biases and learn strategies for support, such as highlighting women’s ideas in meetings or countering interruptions.
Provide family support benefits
Companies can further support women by offering robust family benefits, including maternity and paternity leave, childcare assistance, and paid family leave. Family support benefits recognise that both men and women may have caregiving responsibilities, but they are especially beneficial for women in tech who may feel additional pressure balancing work and family. Comprehensive family support not only helps retain female employees but also prioritises a healthier work-life balance for all employees.
Recognise and address microaggressions
Microaggressions include “subtle” acts like dismissive comments or interruptions, and are commonly experienced by women in tech. Companies should create environments where all employees feel comfortable calling out such issues instead of feeling like they need to keep quiet or avoid coming across as ‘too opinionated’. Providing training on identifying microaggressions and instituting clear reporting procedures can help.
Set measurable goals and regularly report progress
To drive meaningful change, organisations must set specific goals around gender diversity and regularly track their progress. Publishing these metrics publicly demonstrates a commitment to transparency and accountability. Accenture is an example of a company that consistently reports on its gender diversity goals and progress, setting ambitious targets to increase female representation at all levels. When companies set measurable goals, they make it clear that gender diversity is a priority.
What to do if you don’t feel supported at work
If you’re a woman or gender-diverse person in a tech role and feel unsupported, there are steps you can take to advocate for yourself. Start by identifying specific needs, such as mentorship or flexible working arrangements, and present them to your manager with examples of how they benefit both you and the organisation. Seeking support from employee resource groups, if available, can provide a community and amplify your voice. Finally, if issues remain unresolved, exploring opportunities with organisations known for supporting women in tech may be a good next step.