Diversifying the channel: Why International Women’s Day remains relevant

Over the course of the last year, 75% of companies worldwide reported significant talent shortages. And the issue becomes increasingly prominent with the OECD’s estimation that 1.1 billion jobs are liable to be radically transformed by technology in the next decade—with generative AI having dominated the sector in the first quarter of 2023. Studies show that 43% of businesses are set to reduce their workforce due to such technology integrations, while other surveys point out that 80% of technology products and services would be built by those who are not technology professionals by 2024.

In the end, it all comes down to this dilemma: the need for digitally skilled talent.

What’s worse, is that according to recent numbers, women hold only 26% of computing-related jobs today despite making up half of the population. How can we expect digital services to be adequately accessible for all, if we don’t have a representative group of individuals involved in its development. While women continue to be underrepresented in the STEM space, they miss vital learning, development, and upskilling opportunities.

Each International Women’s Day offers us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress we’ve made, celebrate our achievements, set goals, and challenge the status quo. As a woman working in the technology industry, I’m passionate that we continue to support women and promote technology careers—especially at such a critical time for the sector.

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Creating a diverse STEM workforce

As the need for digitally skilled individuals increases, we must ensure there are equal opportunities for women to get involved in the sector and develop new skills. As it stands, and with the UK Governments continue to push its technology and science agenda, the industry is ripe for innovation —and we must promote this further to ensure our industry remains balanced.

There are simply too many biases. Typically, when we think of the technology industry, we usually associate it with young white men in developer roles. These stereotypes often originate in the experiences and ideologies we encountered in our childhood and school years and are more often than not, very wrong. The fact that the IT industry is much more diverse, both in terms of the workforce and the roles that exist within it, is often overlooked, which is why it is so critical we promote a diverse group of role models to young people. By encouraging children and teenagers to undertake STEM courses, giving them the confidence to find their place within the industry, we can begin to move the needle.

Women in the channel

One particular area of the industry which is often forgotten about is the channel, for it’s not the stereotypical technology role we’re used to hearing about. There are huge opportunities for women wanting to work in the sector though. I myself have had the pleasure to collaborate with so many talented fantastic women, and the space allows women with the opportunity to build real, long-lasting relationships and work on mid-term initiatives from start to finish.

In my experience, the channel industry is doing better than most. It is very balanced, attracting people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and a brilliant opportunity for women to build a strong network with partners, sales leaderships teams and customers. It also gives women the opportunity to take on roles of influence. We have so much to gain from, and also offer, the industry—and it’s our role to help others realise the opportunities for them.

Making the industry work for women

Historically, women were prevented from progressing in their careers because of childcare and family commitments, but since the pandemic this concept has been truly flipped on its head. With the greater flexibility offered by home and hybrid working, women can now make their role work for them. And businesses have realised the structure of a 9-5 role is not always fit for purpose.

Trust in employees is critical to this. Open dialogue between managers and employees right from the very beginning can ensure that there’s a combined feeling of support and security in their role no matter what their personal situation.

People managers also have a powerful influence on an employee’s sense of belonging, which can have a huge impact on the retention of any employee working in any industry. However, particularly for an industry that’s male dominated, making women feel like they have a role within the business can make the difference between them choose to leave, stay, or return to the industry.

The channel, and technology industry as a whole, is a wonderful place to attract and retain women, where individuals can build trusted partnerships, a great network and as a result can inspire other women into future careers.

The next year will be an exciting and challenging time for tech. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT from OpenAI are spurring conversations about the future of work and are being leveraged to make business-critical decisions. We’ve already seen calls for the pace of its development to be halted as businesses and governments understand how they to intend to use and regulate the technology—but the opportunities it offers are huge. Bias in AI is already a known fact, and its continued advancement may, in fact, spur on greater diversification in the industry. We must continue to celebrate International Women’s Day each March, as a reminder of the need for continued improvement and development for the benefit of the entire industry.

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