Nothing Is Ever Wasted
"The world needs women and diverse perspectives at the helm of tech as a critical force that shapes our world everyday. Please, keep going." -- Women Who Code
This edition of InclusivelyHer is dedicated to Women Who Code and organizations like Girl Geek X, NCWIT, Anita Borg Institute, Black Girls Code, Girl Develop IT, ButterCup STEAM, Women In STEM and Women in Technology - Atlanta - we can’t thank you enough.
The most poignant soundbite is circulating on social media right now, and it goes, "All this work, and what did it get me? Why did I do it? …what did it get me?"
My recent conversations with professional women in the tech industry brought to light a shared sentiment. After dedicating years — decades for some - to their careers, they still face a lack of opportunity for advancement, unconscious biases that influence management decisions, limited access to rooms where decisions are made, and constant challenges to their professional credibility.
Hearing this initially made me want to sing the blues.
More traction is needed to create sustainable opportunities for women in tech. According to Skillsoft, 31% of women in tech are considering leaving their organization over the next 12 months due to poor management, followed by a lack of training and a desire for better compensation. Additionally, "57% of women in Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) plan to leave their jobs within two years, citing poor work/life balance."
"A report from Accenture and Girls Who Code found that women are 50% more likely to drop tech roles before the age of 35 — that's 2.5 times more likely than in other industries. Elsewhere, a survey by New View Strategies reports that 38% of women in tech are considering leaving their job."
Reading this made me want to write a blues song.
In my experience, it's not an us versus them type situation because, quite frankly, some women:
Participate in "bro culture."
Are card-carrying members of the good old boys' club.
Have unconscious or conscious biases towards other women, people of color, and persons with disabilities or neurodiverse thinking.
Subscribe to scarcity thinking and believe there's room for only one woman or a specific type of woman with a certain pedigree that should be allowed in a room or to lead things.
Believe only a man can do complex technical work.
Extend far more grace to men who've demonstrated they cannot lead or complete technical work.
I can keep going.
I've heard anecdotally (and there's research to back this up) that some men are no better—especially men in positions of influence. They uphold the status quo because it works for them. Women who compete in this space are held to different, often unrealistic standards. Men are allowed to fail, while women are seen as failures.
It breaks my heart—because there's no other way to describe it—that organizations like Women Who Code, who've done incredible work in this space, are now defunct due to... pick a reason. They've successfully created a platform to empower women in the tech space during their tenure. But even more than that, Women Who Code was a light in the valley often needed when navigating the highs and lows of our chosen career path.
So what do we do? All this work, and what did it get us? Why did we do it?
There's no one answer. It's complicated and multifaceted, so the solution is complicated and multifaceted—but get this: We have to endure. It's not a one-and-done thing. We run for as long as we can, do as much as we can, and then hand it off to the next generation.
Your work is not for naught. Nothing is wasted. There is a lesson in everything.
Your showing up matters. Your speaking up matters. You sharing stories about your experiences matters. There is a critical mass happening that is not being reported. You can’t measure it with a survey. When I was a kid, we'd hear at Bible study that “the race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong” (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12).
In other words, we must continue to be unlimited in our thinking.
Ask yourself:
Have I done all I could to improve the industry?
Am I doing the work?
Am I honing my skills?
Am I surrounding myself with people who challenge me?
Am I open to feedback?
What does growth look like for me?
So press on, dear sisters and allies in tech. You're not alone, and there are those who are up next counting on you.
Inspiration
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Thank you for this article. I could listen to this topic in a panel discussion for hours. Keep working and supporting equitable access. This concern transcends careers. #NothingWasted