The tech field’s unconscious bias on women and what we can do about it

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As a woman in tech for over 15 years, I have always felt and experienced the gender gap. It is not rare that I am the only woman sitting at a 12-seat round table at tech events in Hong Kong.

Although things have changed in recent years—many tech companies are trying hard to improve the situation—there are still some deep-rooted perceptions that will take time to erase.

A 2014 report from law firm Fenwick & West reveals that women occupy only 11 percent of executive positions at Silicon Valley companies. It is difficult for women to climb up the hierarchy, which contributes to the prevailing bias in the tech field. This bias could take place in many aspects of the workplace including work capability and even appearance.

Women’s coding abilities are weaker

Often, people are amazed when they know a woman is skilled at coding. In a startup event, one of my IT friends was asked what programming languages she could write. After she listed out the programming languages, people questioned her ability. They were also shocked by her programming skill when she solved a coding problem.

You can treat this as a compliment, but when you step back to look closer, you may find that it actually isn’t. Because under the same circumstances, if she was a man, those programming languages would be presumed as a basic skill. “Male programmers should have known it.”

This is an example to show how unconscious biases are affecting people’s perception of the ability of women in tech.

“Same T-shirt practice” is not welcomed

In the tech field, there is also a perception of women’s appearances. Those I have encountered have said that they are fine with men wearing the same type of suit or tee every day. However, these same people expect women to be different. If women wear the same dress or outfit every day, it definitely will draw attention. “Girls should dress properly!”

The norm that currently exists in society is even more pronounced in this working environment where females account for a very small number.

Tech is not a career choice for women

Becuase the tech field has been male-dominated for a long time, it makes women reluctant to start their career in the industry. This forms a vicious cycle.

Research carried out for the Engineer a Better World campaign shows that only 7 percent of parents feel that engineering would appeal to their daughters as a career. And according to the Institution of Engineering and Technology‘s (IET) skills survey, now just 6 percent of the engineering workforce is female.

More can definitely be done to help eliminate the gender gap.

What can be done to help the situation?

Encourage equal opportunity for women

Equal opportunity should be given to female employees for job applications, evaluations, and promotions. Employers should set up objective guidelines, procedures, and methodologies to evaluate potential and existing employee performance.

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