Women in Tech: How do we champion the digital era while embracing equality?

It goes without saying that women's roles have greatly evolved over time from being wives and mothers to having the ability to vote, the right to education, and to better job prospects, but despite the fact that the educational attainment of women has greatly increased, their labour force participation is still far lower than men. As of 2020, women made up 47.7% of Malaysia's population, yet their labour force participation rate was only 55.5% in 2021 - compared to 80.9% for men.

So we cannot help but beg the question: What is keeping women from being key players in the digital era?

There are many reasons why there is still a gender gap in today's society and it will no doubt be a long journey to lessen this chasm but change always begins with a single step. Our passage towards this has begun but its pace still leaves a lot to be desired.

As a working mother myself, and one who has served the technology industry for more than 20 years, I still find women in this field more the exception that the norm. Men are four times more likely than women to be IT specialists, according to research by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.  One big challenge that I see women facing in technology has to do with the policies that support women in the workplace. For example, with childcare or wage, it can be challenging to negotiate a higher salary and to be bold with one’s career growth. Therefore, there is a wide gap in terms of salaries between women and men. It was reported that women are offered 3 to 4 percent less than men for the same tech job at the same company.

Additionally, women entering the workplace also face “the motherhood penalty”. Married women have a major factor working against them due to an assumption of interest in childbearing and are often never hired due to fears by companies that they will quit to have children.

Here’s the catch though – We, women, make up half of the users of technology and products so how can we not be part of the equation in championing the digital era? Purchasing decisions are almost always made by women and if you keep women out, you will lose out economically.

Empowering women with digital knowledge and skills must include other factors being addressed to lay the foundation for equal participation. These prerequisites include equal digital access, equal ability to utilise technologies in beneficial ways, and equal ability to gain the requisite basic and advanced digital skills to be consumers and producers in the digital economy.

The formula for achieving gender digital equality must involve women being tech-savvy. For a level playing field, the opportunities of today must include women, for the jobs of tomorrow to be held by them. This is the path to digital inclusivity.

This year’s International Women's Day theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” is timely and apt. Digital transformation is no longer a luxury, but a necessity as was demonstrated clearly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when physically going to the office was impossible in many situations. The new normal highlighted how technology was imperative for business continuity and survival as well as how those not proficient in it could and would be left behind.

Championing digital era equality

At Huawei, we believe in five key elements that are essential to achieving this.

One, an inclusive work environment that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities to men and women. It is not gender that is the benchmark of talent, but quality, irrespective of gender. Two, the promotion of women leadership at all levels with equitable selection, promotion and retention standards. Three, providing a fully safe and welcoming work environment that includes flexible work arrangements and childcare that demonstrate that choosing to be a wife or mom does not mean sacrificing one’s career. Four, nurturing an open, inclusive, and secure corporate culture that addresses the unique cultural and social pressures women face both in and out of the workplace, and lastly, five, providing education, training, and digital opportunities to all.

Embracing equality also means no special favours or privileges. Employers must “want” to employ women and not be “forced” to employ them. Women have risen to be Queens, Prime Ministers and Presidents. They have proven their mettle.

Only when the world embraces this, can “everyone” truly mean everyone.

Happy International Women’s Day!

This article is written by Yvonne Khor, Director Of Carrier Integrated Business Support Of Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd (Huawei Malaysia)