It’s time to normalise women in tech
It’s 2022 and women are still a minority when it comes to the world of IT. Why does this imbalance persist, and how can we redress it?
I recently chaired a panel session where I asked four inspiring women in senior technology roles how they got there and what we can all do to encourage more girls and women to follow in their footsteps.
Here’s what they said.
You don’t need a degree in IT to be in IT
Routes into the technology sector are many and varied, and our discussion provided some very different examples, proving that you really don’t need a degree in computer science to kickstart a career in IT.
Leia Mills, head of business IT systems at Satellite Applications Catapult, revealed that she started out with no relevant qualifications at all. Although she has since achieved an Open University degree in computing and science, then an MSc in cyber security, her first degree was in literature.
As director of digital technologies at Nottingham Trent University, Amanda Neylon is responsible for implementing the digital aspects of her institution’s ambitious strategic plan to reimagine the university of the future, but her career began in marketing in the car industry.
I now head up Jisc, the organisation responsible for the national research and education network Janet – one of the world’s fastest and busiest networks – but my degree is in psychology. As part of my course, I had to do some programming and that’s when I first realised how technology and data can make things better for people.
Technology improves education and research, and education and research improve lives. Which is why Jisc exists.
Be a role model for the next generation
The bias against girls entering IT as a career starts early.
Leia Mills remembers thinking in her teens that “tech was a boy’s job.” Speaking recently to one of Jisc’s software developers, I was appalled to hear that she is only three years out of university, but her all-girl secondary school didn’t offer computer sciences – she had to go across the road to the boys’ school to do it.
Shifting the paradigm is an overused phrase, but in this case we really do need to change attitudes and widen opportunities for women in IT, and the best way to do that is to get girls thinking about technology at an earlier age.
Those of us who have made a career in IT have a responsibility as role models: we need to go into schools – even primary schools – and say “You can do this!”
Those of us who have made a career in IT have a responsibility as role models: we need to go into schools – even primary schools – and say “You can do this!”
Change the way you read – and write – job descriptions
I think one lesson we can all take from this is that we need to change the way we read job descriptions when considering applying for a new role.
Women – and anyone else for that matter – should not be put off going for roles that ask for qualifications they don’t have.
Often, if you inquire further, it turns out they’re not really that important; experience or enthusiasm count for more.
At the same time, employers could change the way they write job descriptions. Instead of demanding certain qualifications or experience, other qualities and attributes could be emphasised.
Be a mentor
The value of mentoring was clearly acknowledged by everyone on the panel.
Any manager – male or female – can make a huge difference by championing women in their team and giving them opportunities.
As network operations manager at the University of York, Eleanor Coultish manages a team of network engineers, but she still remembers the mentor who influenced her career path. She says:
“When I worked as a desktop support technician at South Ayrshire Council, my manager Helen encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. She gave me the confidence to apply to study the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) course, which led me to a career in network support.”
Leia Mills agrees:
“I was working as a management information administrator at a college when I collaborated with an IT manager from another college on a problem - and he gave me my first break. He saw my zeal and provided me with mentoring support, training and opportunities to expand my potential.”
Jessica Wu, head of services, cloud solutions at Jisc, was fortunate enough to have her mother as a role model and mentor.
“She taught me that anything is possible no matter whether you’re a boy or a girl."
"Both my parents were civil engineers and when I was little my mother would sometimes take me into the office with her. I was fascinated by watching her drawing cross sections and floor plans. To this day I love the smell of fresh engineering blueprints - it reminds me of my childhood.”
If your team is all the same, it’s missing something
Jisc is committed to making the work environment more diverse and inclusive, and I asked the panelists how we can make women feel more comfortable in this male-dominated industry.
Jisc is committed to making the work environment more diverse and inclusive
Amanda Neylon says that she found a women’s network very helpful when it comes to mentoring, coaching and support:
“Although we arguably shouldn’t need a women’s network. I think if we pretend everyone’s the same then we miss out on opportunities to encourage and enable.”
Jessica Wu agrees:
“We should celebrate diversity. If your team is all the same, it’s missing something.”
Think of yourself as a fighter pilot
Eleanor Coultish gave a memorable illustration of change that’s already happening, and that we can help drive.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced something like this:
“I was at a conference with a male colleague not so long ago when another delegate started a conversation with him, assuming that I wasn’t a delegate but a ‘plus one’” she said. “I found myself asking him really technical questions to prove I knew my stuff and to justify why I was there. I shouldn’t have to do that.”
She went on to contrast that scenario with a more enlightened viewpoint:
“I’ve seen the new Top Gun film (twice!), and what really struck me is that there’s a female fighter pilot – but not once is she referred to as female. She's just a fighter pilot. It’s completely normalised.”
As women in tech, that’s where we need to get to.
About the author
I joined Jisc as chief executive officer in September 2021. My key priority is to ensure Jisc stays innovative and focused on the needs of students, educators and researchers in what will be a turbulent but, I am sure, productive time ahead.