DigitALL: Embracing equity for women in Digital and Technology

At Netcel, it’s our mission to build a diverse and inclusive culture and we want to encourage others to do the same. Which is why we are supporting International Women’s Day to #EmbraceEquity amongst women, specifically in the Digital and Technology industry. We believe women should be equal participants in creating and developing digital products and services that shape our future. Currently, women are underrepresented in our industry, with only 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector being held by women.

A recent PWC study* indicates that one of the top reasons why women are not pursuing careers in technology is due to the little information or advice they receive about what working in this industry involves. ​It is part of our challenge to change the perception of what a career in Digital/technology offers.  

That is why reached out to some of our female clients, partners and employees working in senior digital positions, and asked them to offer their advice and opinions on why women's should consider careers within this industry. Here is what they had to say:

"I love the fact that the digital/tech industry is very diverse. You must have the ability to dive into different problems, really listen and then find a solution. This means you get to work with people from across the organisation that you work for, who all offer different perspectives - bringing those together and creating a team that is effective is what gives me energy.

I started working in communications and then quickly moved into the ‘digital realm’. Digital was and is exciting to me because it is constantly changing how people relate to each other and to organisations. It keeps you on your toes!

If I could offer advice to someone considering this as a career path I would say: If you are a good listener, naturally curious and resilient than that is a great start, more specific knowledge and expertise you can gain over time."

- Tessa Adelaar, Head of Digital Experience, Age UK

"If I would offer advice to a young woman considering a career in Technology, I would say; if you are a type of person who is interested in technology, has passion for innovation and enjoys problem solving, you should consider the digital sector.

The digital sector is one of the fastest growing industries and there are many opportunities for woman to work in a variety of roles such as web development, programming, and digital marketing.

Companies in this sector offer good recognition and reward, including flexible work arrangements such as remote work. This can be very appealing to people with family and other responsibilities."

- Zainab Almusa, Front End Developer, Netcel

"I enjoy the fast-paced nature of the tech industry, it is always changing and requires constant innovation, which I love being part of. From my experience the tech industry also offers diversity in teams from all sorts of backgrounds, including female representation. But of course there is lots of work to still be done. 

Initially, I was attracted to work in this sector due to the modern and energetic mindset and culture. It’s also great for those that want to grow and learn as there are plenty of career opportunities. 

My advice to people considering the tech industry would be, you don’t need to be a ‘techie’ person to be working in tech. People in this industry have all sorts of backgrounds."

- Jala Sansar, Senior Marketing Manager, Optimizely

"The thing I most enjoy working this industry is collaborating with the multitude of digital skillsets whilst working on a digital project… It always results in greater learning – and learning with others is great fun…I especially learning about new approaches and new tools by seeing others use them with great skill… (these change on a monthly basis!)

I also enjoy the anthropological side of digital – understanding why we are doing what we’re doing -  and understating the ‘why’ by watching how humans actually interact with the digital experiences we create. 

When I started working in the digital industry, there was only one web browser and you were only able to set a few background colours and the only ‘movement’ was via GIF animations. ‘What was technically possible’ changed on a weekly (almost daily) basis, so the speed of its evolution was exciting.   I was attracted to how much we were all learning every day – and seeing the industry change, together.  Seeing an industry come to life whilst you’re in it, and contributing to it, was exhilarating.

I was also attracted to the sense of being part of something that everyone was curious about. No one knew of its possibilities because we were all figuring this new thing out together and teaching ourselves how and where digital could be used.  So, experimentation became the norm and was done regularly.

On top of that, I liked the fact that I could combine my creative and analytical capabilities with my interest in human behaviour and project management in a way that could be useful…

My advice for someone considering this as a career path would be:

• Keep educating yourself through reading books or blog posts around the part of the business that most interest you (eg: Behavioural Economics or UX) and ‘follow’ the leaders in the industry on LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter, TED etc…
• Work with others, shadow others – you can learn a lot by watching and listening.
• Try things.  Try building your own website.  Experiment with different tools.  Do some guerrilla research by identifying a problem and solving it. 
• Give it a try. Join a hackathon.  Go to a conference.  Be a user tester. Get out there and join in… If anything, you’ll learn what digital does and doesn’t solve."

- Rebekah Ingal, User Experience Consultant, Netcel

We can all play an important role in forging an equal world, free of bias, discrimination and stereotypes. So collectively, let’s #EmbraceEquity and build a better and fairer society for us all.

To read more about International Women’s Day, visit: internationalwomensday.com.