As women in tech we have broken the bias in an industry where we are woefully under-represented. A 2021 ‘Women in Software’ study highlighted statistics by PWC which showed that only 3% of women and girls say a career in technology is their first choice, whilst 78% of students can’t name a famous woman working in technology 1.
It’s clear that much work has to be done at a grass-roots level to encourage girls into STEM subjects and make a career in tech a tangible aspiration. Changemakers in the industry are already leading the way, but more high profile role models are needed to take up space so girls can map out a career trajectory from an interest in a STEM-related subjects, right through to CEO.
We never envisaged careers in tech; our professions have straddled marketing and chartered accounting. Thankfully, serendipity brought us together at the school gates and, out of the desire for a more connected parent community, Classlist was born.
As our business has grown to over 1,000 schools in 26 countries, so has our commitment to recruiting, and retaining, female talent. Identifying barriers, as well as the restructuring needed in response to a global pandemic, has led to a more flexible and collaborative working approach, and the shift to home working is something we continue to encourage post pandemic.
The result has been a growth in our female employee rate, both our product design and marketing teams are headed up by women, and a swing towards an ‘outcomes over hours’ approach.
We take a keen interest in the personal growth of staff and offer mentorship to all. Key areas of interest for female staff taking up mentorship is confidence, work/life balance and career trajectory. Our mentorship programme isn’t just a one-way relationship; these indicators of job satisfaction inform our company culture as we learn from our staff. There is still work to do and we haven’t always got it right, but everyday we continue to learn and identify key takeaways on how to improve our offering.
Writing a blog post is actually the easiest part; action and growth can be uncomfortable as we challenge the bias and strive for a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Susan Burton and Clare Wright
Founders of Classlist
The #BreakTheBias was the theme for #IWD2022.
International Women’s Day is on Wednesday 8th March, 2023 - #IWD2023 and collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity. For more information and resources visit: www.internationalwomensday.com
Sources:
1 Women in Software 2021 Re-coding Tech: Outlining Solutions for Gender Equality in the Tech Industry
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