THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Elephant in the Valley is a survey that details the responses of 200+ women with at least 10 years of experience in relation to Feedback & Promotion, Inclusion, Unconscious biases, Motherhood, and Harassment & Safety. The results lay bare the circumstances for women in the booming tech industry in Silicon Valley and the responses do not paint a pretty picture for women.
Admittedly, the survey was largely bay area based, with 91% of respondents living and working in the bay area/silicon valley at the time the survey was conducted. Participants had a broad range of ages, with 77% being 40+ and 75% with children. Respondents held positions of power and influence; with 25% being CXOs, 11% Founders and 11% in venture capital. In addition to capturing start-up data, the survey covered employees from large companies including Apple, Google, and VMWare.
Here’s what the survey unearthed:
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84% have been told they are too aggressive (with half hearing that on multiple occasions).
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It is difficult for women in tech to strike the right balance without being seen as too meek or too harsh:
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47% have been asked to do lower-level tasks that male colleagues are not asked to do (e.g., note-taking, ordering food, etc.)
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32% disagree that they have been asked to do these tasks.
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66% felt excluded from key social/networking opportunities because of gender.
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59% have felt they have not had the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
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90% witnessed sexist behavior at company offsites and/or industry conferences.
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88% have experienced clients/colleagues address questions to male peers that should have been addressed to them.
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Eye contact with male colleagues and not me: 84%
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Demeaning comments from male colleagues: 87%
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47% asked to do lower-level tasks that male colleagues not asked to do.
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75% were asked about family life, marital status and children in interviews.
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40% feel the need to speak less about their family to be taken more seriously.
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Of those who took maternity leave, 52% shortened their leave because they thought it would negatively impact their career.
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60% of women in tech reported unwanted sexual advances.
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65% of women who report unwanted sexual advances had received advances from a superior, with half receiving advances more than once.
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1 in 3 have felt afraid of their personal safety because of work related circumstances.
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60% who reported sexual harassment were dissatisfied with the course of action.
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39% of those harassed did nothing because they thought it would negatively impact their career.
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30% did not report, because they wanted to forget.
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29% signed a non-disparagement agreement.
Even though the survey was conducted amongst women in a very specific cultural milieu, it is reasonable to extrapolate the assumption that women elsewhere face similar issues in the male dominated IT / tech industry.
ENTER, CODE LIKE A GIRL IN AUSTRALIA
Even before the results of the above-mentioned survey, it was clear that Australia’s IT / tech industry had a significant gender imbalance. The women who did join the industry after completing their studies often left within a very short period of time after experiencing one, or a combination of the issues mentioned by women in the Silicon Valley survey.
Code Like a Girl is an initiative dedicated to providing girls with the tools, knowledge and support to enter and flourish in the world of coding.
Why 'Code Like a Girl'?
The Australian Government’s STEM Program Index 2016 indicates that:
“Strong STEM skills across the community underpin an innovative future, and the development of these skills starts in schools. Ensuring students have comprehensive STEM skills is essential to Australia’s future economic and social wellbeing.”
Coding forms an important foundation in the future STEM oriented economy that the Government is striving to generate. And yet, culture, stereotypes and unconscious bias all play a role in a significant shortage of women in STEM roles, particularly in tech.
Code Like a Girl’s mission is to inspire and help more women feel confident to study coding and be more involved in the creation and development of the tech industry. The founders of Code Like A Girl understand that diverse groups where all members of society are represented equally solve complex problems better and faster.
They hope to spark change in the tech community; inspiring new generations of girls to acquire coding as a skill as well as encouraging more women to step into leadership roles within the industry by “connecting like-minded girls who are passionate about coding and technology.”
Code Like A Girl’s Contribution To Education
Code Like A Girl run a series of tech-focused events and workshops around Australia; bringing together local talents and like-minded girls who are passionate about coding and technology to learn, connect and celebrate each other's achievements. They host these workshops in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The organisation provides a platform for girls and women to come together, meet new coding sisters, support one another and help build each other’s confidence. In what can sometimes be a daunting industry to work, this community provides a safe space from which to build a career from within a supportive community. Code Like A Girl also offers Job Search opportunities where employers and candidates can connect.
Here at Imalia, we love to hear (and share) stories about individuals and businesses that have at their core a vision to innovate and transform the status quo. Code Like A Girl is empowering women and girls in Australia to feel confident and connected to a supportive community whilst bravely working to transform the imbalances in the tech industry.
If you are inspired and would like to join the revolutionary movement that we are creating, you can request to join our Facebook group The Wolfpack, to share ideas and learn from other like-minded women.
