According to data from industry body NASSCOM, around 36% of India’s technology workforce is women. Worldwide, this figure is around 28%. While India looks strong when compared to global statistics, the tech industry, both domestically and internationally, poses challenges for women and non-binary populations in the form of high barriers to entry, workplace culture, organizational policies, pay disparities, etc. I keep pushing it. etc.
In 1987, Anita Borg, a prominent computer scientist who was a vocal advocate for women’s representation in technology, founded the Digital Community for Women in Computing. The community has evolved over the years and is now known as AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit organization working to advance women and non-binary people in technology.
said Brenda Durden Wilkerson, global president and CEO of California-based AnitaB.org, who was in Bengaluru. hinduism About the myriad challenges women in tech face and how organizations are trying to address them. AnitaB India’s girlfriend Dr. Shreya Krishnan also joined the conversation.
Can you tell us about what AnitaB.org is working on and why it’s important?
Brenda Durden Wilkerson: Well, we (women) are more than half of the world’s population. In other words, technology touches everyone and everything, so it must be truly representative of our needs. The very narrow population from which technology is created does not cover our needs or the needs of other segments of the population, such as the elderly, the disabled, people in rural areas… The table on which technology is created is It should look like this: A society created for that purpose. that is our job.
You’ve worked not only with women, but also with people in the non-binary community. Do you think we’re seeing more non-binary people entering the tech industry, or more importantly, is the tech industry welcoming them?
Well, we have to have the conversation. If we don’t talk about the needs of others, the status quo will remain the status quo.
It is very important to welcome the non-binary community. And it probably starts just like it does for women, through education.
Therefore, we are now discussing what it means to be non-binary, what pressures they experience in the workplace and in society in general, and how they are viewed and We need to be able to start changing the culture around how we are seen. how they are treated.
We feel this is an opportunity for us to help not only families and communities, but also businesses become even more successful. If they can serve people who are currently underserved, it will be a better business for them. It’s a win-win all around.
The challenges women face in the workplace are multi-layered, from entry to promotion to pay disparity. How do you address each of these levels?
One of the first things we talk about is creating multiple paths for women to enter the tech industry. We want to include women from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including those who started their careers in fields such as marketing and finance. This isn’t just about getting young girls and women into the tech industry. We would like to hire women of the same generation who have a wide range of experience.
The next step is to develop partnerships that can help you get the training, mentorship, and internal sponsorship you need.
And what’s very, very important is the community.
One of the best strategies to keep people away from technology is to isolate them and make them feel like they’re the only ones out there.
Patriarchy has always worked because there have always been groups of men who provide planning, guidance, and people to look up to and succeed.
So we provide a community for women. The community here in India is very strong. There are amazing women who are dedicated to not only their own careers, but the careers of others.
We also work with institutions where women study, work and fund.
People often ask me, “How do you help women?” Women don’t need help. They need to remove barriers. Time and time again, existing systems, policies and procedures not only do not help women, they have also prevented them from succeeding.
When it comes to workplace culture, there are things that are written and things that are not. What is not written is often more insidious than what is written. For example, the assumption that women historically should not have a voice. Grace Hopper famously said that the most dangerous phrase in the English language is “We’ve always done it this way.”
Therefore, educate men and prepare them to accept women into their environment. We do the same for non-binary people.
First of all, if we can start to see leaders who look like us emerge, that’s what has helped men over and over again for decades. If we can encourage a similar leadership path for women, we know things will work out. change.
We need role models. We need to see others like us succeeding and doing great things. Not that it isn’t. In many cases, those posts will be deleted. I had never heard of Gladys West until about three years ago. She is the mother of GPS. She didn’t know who Grace Hopper was. They didn’t tell me about them when I was a kid.
So we make sure to give that exposure. And we see people go on in their careers and do great things because they got that exposure.
How do you measure the impact of your work?
One of the reasons you know things aren’t working is when retention is low. In other words, women are employed but not retained. Looking back over many years of career, women have a shorter path to leadership than men.
We are focusing on three things. How many women are retained, how many are promoted, and at what percentage? These three are really important spaces.
Another thing that is important to me is to encourage women to become entrepreneurs and start their own companies.
In the US, 49% of new companies formed since the pandemic were headed by women. So if you can work with funders to make sure you get funding and educate them about other ways to get funding because VC funding is not the only way to get funding, it can go a long way. There is a gender.
Can you talk about some of the unique challenges in India when it comes to women in the tech industry?
Shreya Krishnan: In India, intersectionality has been incorporated into the idea of Brahmanical feminism. Women who are Brahmins have more access. Because they come from a certain class, they have access and a certain say. And with that class, they can advocate for feminism.
But what do you do for people who don’t have it? What are you doing for Dalit women? These are some of the questions. And there are minorities and so much religious discrimination against them.
Whether in the United States or India, there are many common narratives about access, opportunity, equity, and understandings of equity when it comes to policy, advocacy, and the way we design the world. There are people who are more angry about imperfect feminism than eternal misogyny and patriarchy.
Studies show that it will take about 200 years for India to achieve equity and pay equality. That means our grandchildren will probably see the fruits of what we’re doing. This also means why it’s more important.
In India, the intersections are much more complex, with class, caste, urban-rural divides, multiple languages, and anglophone/non-English speaking divides.
Creating equality, social justice, and equity is the only way forward. We need to level the playing field.
The good news is that everyone wants diversity these days. Everyone now has the intention of “ticking the box” and saying they want diversity, either tokenistically or as a genuine effort. A conversation is in progress. Then guide it in the right direction. It’s a journey. And if people come to the table with a little bit of openness and intention, the rest will be easier because we’re getting to work.