A female director at a strategy and technology firm has said that women are underrepresented in the tech industry as they are not given enough information about the sector.
Jess Lancashire, director at Solis Digital believes that more women would be in the tech industry if they were given a better understanding of what working in the sector involves.
Ms Lancashire thinks no one is actually promoting the idea of women working in the tech industry.
Ms Lancashire explained that she actually possessed the skills she needed to step in to the industry, she just was not aware. Previously, Ms Lancashire was working in social care.
Ms Lancashire said:
The high pressure, ever changing environment meant problem solving whilst keeping a professional service was just part of everyday work life for me.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) research found that only 3 per cent of female students wish to have a career in technology. Only 16 per cent of females have had a career in technology suggested to them, in comparison to 33 per cent of males and only 5 per cent of leadership positions are held by women in the tech sector.
The tech industry is also very wide, it is full of different opportunities for people, with different skills. Ms Lancashire emphasized that not everyone in tech is sitting behind a computer, coding all day.
The research was also able to provide a list of the most sexist phrases towards women in the tech industry:
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- Cheer up / Smile more – 83 per cent
- Sweetheart/love/darling etc. – 93 per cent
- Can you make us all tea/coffee? – 69 per cent
- Not bad for a girl – 66 per cent
- Oh well done! (sarcastic) – 65 per cent
- Can I speak to your boss? – 63 per cent
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Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
