Today, women across the world are being celebrated for International Women’s Day with the theme “Break the Bias”. Within Appsbroker,  we consistently strive to break bias in our workplace, as well as the tech industry and beyond.

We spoke to some inspirational women in Appsbroker who are doing amazing work within the tech sector. With a variety of experience and a wealth of knowledge, they give us their insight into what it’s like being a woman in tech today and their hopes for the industry in the future.

 

Insight. Experience. Lived Truth.

 

Women’s representation has increased across the business landscape since 2016. However, women—especially women of color—remain significantly underrepresented in leadership. “The first challenge I faced in the industry was that people did not consider me suitable for a leadership position,” says Madalina Apreotesei, Operations Support and Service Delivery Lead at Appsbroker. “I had to prove myself over and over again.”

Gitanjali Patil, Platform Engineer at Appsbroker echoes this: “The major challenge I have faced is that men are expected to develop into a role whereas being a woman, most of the time we are expected to have demonstrated achievement prior to being considered for any role.” Women continue to face a “broken rung” at the first step up to manager: for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women are promoted. As a result, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, which means there are far fewer women to promote to higher levels.

Another common theme involves motherhood and family life. “The major challenge I felt was when I was transitioning from woman to a mother, and dealing with competition during that time was a lot of effort,” Guneet Saini, Business Analyst & Scrum Master at Appsbroker tells us. “Getting balance between work and motherhood was a major challenge.”

“There have been challenges around adapting to British culture in work environments,” shared Archana Singh, Senior Backend Engineer at Appsbroker, who moved to the UK from India 7 years ago with her family. Guneet also moved from India to the UK – “As a family we had to adapt across all aspects of life. Helping your child to cope with a new environment was tough – whilst also settling down and looking for a job.”

 

ACCELERATING WOMEN IN TECH

 

How can we, as an industry, company, or individuals, encourage more women to pursue a career in the tech industry?

“Work-life balance is one of the key reasons why women shy away from IT jobs, especially if they have a young family,” says Guneet. “I believe that if employers offer flexible working, a wider spectrum of women will apply.”

Despite the headwinds caused by burnout from repeated lockdowns and the impact of COVID-19 on working situations, women are rising to the challenge. The impact of the last year and a half on women is far from clear. But the risks to women—and the companies that depend on their leadership—are still very real.

“Women are most supported in the industry by being given flexibility. We see more women around the table than 10 years ago but still there is a lot to achieve” says Gutanjali. “I want to change the assumptions that women are weak and cannot be leaders” echoes Adriana Corlat, Service Delivery Manager at Appsbroker.

 

You are an inspiration!

 

“International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements and raises awareness of equal rights and opportunities for women,” says Diana Tonu, HR Business Partner for Appsbroker Romania. “In Romania, this celebration gives everyone the opportunity to express their appreciation for their mothers, wives or colleagues. We offer them flowers, and it’s a very beautiful tradition that brings smiles to all women’s faces.”

What words of inspiration do the women of Appsbroker have for women looking to begin their careers in male-dominated industries?

 “Just stay strong, keep your focus and adapt – always adapt.” – Madalina

“Be what you are!! Reach out and grab every opportunity!” – Gitanjali

“Be confident – you have something in you which others don’t have.” – Guneet

“Be brave and take the chances to showcase your skills.” – Adriana Corlat

“Build your skills – it’s the key to progression in any career.” – Archana

 

NOT TODAY – EVERYDAY

The wishes for women in tech in the future are similar across the board.

Listen to us. Promote us. Trust us. We want to be here.

“I want to see balance and harmony,” says Madalina. “Break the boy’s club legacy!” says Gitanjali. “Surround ourselves with supportive people”, says Guneet.

For more resources on International Women’s Day, we recommend the Women in the Workplace Report by Lean In and the Women in Tech section of the official IWD Website.