With progress plateauing, in some cases even reversing, and a reported gender pay gap in tech that could take 300 years to fix, how do we move forward?

In tech, women’s journey to the top is often challenging, requiring not only hard work and talent but also support from those already in positions of power. Yet, a troubling trend persists and I hear it myself through our work, where individuals, once they have climbed the ladder of success, often pull it up behind them, preventing others from following. 

This behaviour undermines the collective progress and stifles potential talent.

Here are some of the latest numbers.

The number of women working in engineering and tech has dropped by 38,000 – from 16.5% of the 2022 workforce to 15.7% of the 2023 workforce. In contrast, women made up 56.1% of all other occupations combined. The decrease in the number of women in engineering and tech is largely due to a loss of 66,000 women aged 35 to 64, highlighting retention issues in this age group.2

The TechTalent Charter’s final Diversity in Tech 2023 report, indicated that 1 in 3 women in tech were planning to leave their current jobs. 

The report also revealed that diversity and inclusion strategies are becoming increasingly insular with initiatives being sidelined to focus on other business goals. D&I budgets are being squeezed – and in some cases, cut entirely – whilst the demands of those in D&I roles are constantly expanding to include non-related work.

The British Computer Society has warned that, without intervention, it could take nearly 300 years to close the gender pay gap in tech.

For me this is a wake up call to re-energise our efforts to improve gender diversity in tech and achieve faster progress.

I believe that one key way to boost retention and create more opportunities for women in engineering is for leaders to hire people ‘better’ than you. To clarify, this does not necessarily mean those who you believe could do your job right now, but instead hiring those who possess skills in areas you don’t and to increase your team’s diversity. 

As a leader, it is not your job to be ‘better’ than the rest of your team, in fact, it is the opposite. The best leaders surround themselves with the strongest and smartest they can find. Employees greater expertise and specialised knowledge will not only help business progression but your individual growth. 

These colleagues are a fountain of knowledge, and a good diversity of perspectives can support your continuous learning. They can open your eyes to new approaches and ways of thinking that you would not have been exposed to otherwise. 

Also, In terms of retention, your reliance and appreciation of them as team members allows individuals to feel heard, appreciated and feel they are making a substantial difference in the company. As Steve Jobs said “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

An environment where employees are encouraged to challenge and learn from each other appeals to women in my opinion and will be a key element of the push for greater workplace equality and inclusiveness. 

On top of this good leadership practice, all the evidence clearly shows that organisations with higher gender, socio-economic, disability and ethnic diversity consistently outperform their competitors. 

These orgainsations better reflect social diversity, reach a wider range of potential customers, and incorporate a broader spectrum of perspectives into their strategy and decision making. Inviting more people to the table and ensuring their voices are heard benefits everyone.

If there are so many benefits, then why don’t more employers look to hire ‘better’ and more women? As Cameron Jacox argued in Forbes, the reason is likely rooted in millions of years of evolution. Humans have been programmed to resist threats and protect their own means of survival, in this case their jobs. 

The fear that opening your company’s eyes to the strength of the talent pool will lead to your replacement is very common. For if a new hire could do your job, why would the company keep you? It is perhaps worth remembering that only in a toxic and dishonest organisation would a well-intentioned hire lead to your replacement? 

In a merit-based, capitalist society, self preservation often requires less “defence” and more “offence”? Leaders need to out-compete and innovate rather than simply defend their own position and this alone is a good reason to diversify your team given the evidence. 

In reality, the chances are that hiring smart, diverse and hardworking people will only be a credit to you if you are in the right company – a reflection of your good judgment so please go for it and remind others you work with to lift as you climb.

So support me in highlighting the current worrying trend for D&I initiatives and join me in encouraging leaders to do the right thing for sound business reasons.

Originally posted here

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But, what does that mean in reality?

The week does include in-person conferences and awards and meet-ups, but the vast majority of the week’s content remains online and I believe this remains its secret sauce. 

Why do I believe that an online programme is better than an in-person event? Well I don’t always, but whilst a few days in London or Lisbon is a great experience and for those needing to build relationships and networks with new customers is vital, for the vast majority of us this remains an impracticality. 

Also, these big “national” and “international” in the room events are usually about big tech and those with the biggest budgets fund them and drive the agenda. “No budget, no play” as they say. It can be a format that reinforces the status quo and excludes many for whom hotels and travel is either not a practical option or not allowed by their employer. 

DLWeek is nationwide and all about those who know, sharing with those who need to find out, irrespective of where the speaker is based or the audience live. 

By making the vast majority of Digital Leaders Week online and virtual we maximise that opportunity and let our audience participate from their home desk. 

However, the challenge is to organise it well and after six attempts we now feel we have got it down to a fine art. It’s about great user experience for the speaker and for the delegate alike.

Offering to give a talk is a matter of a few clicks. Our editorial team test talks for quality before loading it up and choosing a time during the week that works for the speaker. With so many talks happening in a five day period, we try hard to make sure talks on the same topics do not coincide, but with over 250 speakers that’s not easy.

What is so great is the variety. With no barrier of cost to give a talk for speakers from government, charities and academics (we do often charge a small fee to the private sector) we get extraordinary speakers offering up real knowledge, best practice and new ideas. Many do it exactly because there is no barrier for the audience to participate and they like the inclusion.

This also means that, free of the “tyranny of geography”, speakers from the North of Scotland or valleys of Wales, or experts in the more obscure areas of digital transformation expertise can find a platform and national audience that needs their know-how.

However, making all 200 plus talks easy to find, book into and experience from your home desk, is about great UX and here I believe we have it.

The key is to make all talks accessible through a single one time registration. We make the talks that matter to you findable through listing them by time, speaker and topic. You can click on everything you want to take part in and once clicked onto, we add them to your personal calendar.

We also get our partners like DWP Digital to create badges that delegates can earn during the week. Effectively, they do the heavy lifting for them by choosing, in their case, the best ten talks about Data. 

During the Week delegates start their day with an email reminding them what they booked into and we send them extra alerts just before each talk. In the evening each day they get the recordings of everything booked into that day and after the week, the whole programme is available on-demand.

All of that would just be a week of webinars, was it not for the Digital Leaders Community itself. For us and them, DLWeek is a key part of a whole year full of activity and knowledge sharing. Those who speak are seen as adding to the community and participation and feedback for them seen as part of the community’s dna. This community aspect takes it beyond just being individual talks to a collective sense of building the UK’s digital confidence together.

That’s why, for this 12th Digital Leaders Week, I shall be staying home. 

If you would like to give a talk at DLWeek 14-18 October 2024 please submit here 

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Arguably, more than ever before, digital will be more important than ever as we await the result. Why? Social media, of course – with diverse views, but generally an echo chamber effect. Targeted messaging and advertising through different platforms. The role of data in gaining support. The spreading of news – and potentially fake news – online. In 2024, what’s an election without the debate and discussion that happens across digital platforms – whether that’s sharing your opinion on Facebook, following political commentary, or analysing data.

Unless you aren’t online.

If you aren’t online at all, you won’t be hit by the swirling news. In fact, you probably didn’t spend this afternoon receiving news alerts or debating with your team what the date would be, and arguably, you might not even know the election has been announced. Similarly, if you’ve run out of data or had to switch off your broadband due to rising costs.

And not only will you not know, but you won’t be sharing your views. With so many campaigns kicking off online these days, if you are digitally excluded, ironically, you’re not going to be able to spread the word about the need to tackle digital poverty. If you are one of the 11 million people who lack essential, basic digital skills, you may also be at greater risk of falling foul of related scams, of fake news – or purely struggling to register for new voter ID.

So, having established that digital plays a massive part in democracy these days, and given we already know that up to 19 million adults are in digital poverty, perhaps this tells us that tackling this exclusion – whether it’s through affordability, skills, or lack of trust or support – must be critical in the next governmental term, which will see us through all the way to 2029. So much has changed in the last five years, who can tell where we will be in the last year of the decade

This is why we have a simple manifesto call to all campaigning parties:

1. 1. Commit to creating a cross-departmental digital inclusion task force – across every department – with transparent accountability for real change and a joined-up focus.
2. Take immediate action now, with meaningful communication campaigns that signpost support.

Why every department? Because digital touches every area of life. Education, health, welfare, jobs, rural services, housing – the list doesn’t end.

And why communications? Around two-thirds of people would improve their digital skills if there was free support. There is free support – but people can’t find it. Perhaps because they aren’t online, or perhaps because we want them to look in the places that society feels would be convenient, rather than taking the message to people.

How can I get involved?

Are you a candidate? Tell us if you support us. You can email me directly at elizabeth@digitalpovertyalliance.org. Tell your party you support action on digital poverty and want to see this included in campaign literature. If you need information about your constituency, we can share that information with you. Want to know more about how to support?

As well as the asks above, we are seeking greater awareness, support for affordability, increased accessibility of services, a dedicated skills programme and device access in schools, and greater support for local authorities to tackle digital inclusion. If you want to know more, drop me an email.

Are you working with a candidate? Tell them what you’ve just read. Ask them to get involved.

Are you a member of the public? Canvassing season is just beginning. Ask something different on the doorstep – ask about digital poverty. Ask both what the party is doing, but also what the local candidate is doing – whether that’s for the one in five children nationally in digital poverty, or the one in two families on low incomes who are digitally excluded.

Are you a business, perhaps with public affairs goals that align? Join our Industry Forum and be part of the industry response to helping millions of people access the online world – and your services – conveniently, safely, and effectively.

We sometimes hear digital considered a luxury, that it comes after other forms of poverty. A keyboarded device (laptop or tablet) with a stable internet connection isn’t a luxury. Without it, children can’t complete homework. Parents can’t access job opportunities (90% of which are only advertised online, and need a digital application). People can’t apply for benefits, healthcare, or other support. There’s a poverty premium – from insurance to driving licences, you pay more if you’re offline or struggle with accessing online services.

So, if someone tells you a phone is enough, ask them – could they do GCSE coursework on a phone with a cracked screen? And if they say no, ask them what they are doing to help.

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In 2023, the UK Communications and Digital Committee’s report highlighted a significant digital divide, showing that 7 million households are without broadband or mobile internet access. Rising living costs have exacerbated this issue, resulting in 1 million people scaling back or entirely cancelling their internet services in the last year. The report also emphasises a concerning trend in workforce digital literacy, with over 5 million working adults unable to perform fundamental digital tasks required for their jobs. Alarmingly, the lack of basic digital skills is projected to become the most substantial skills gap in the UK by 2030.

In an increasingly digital world, the importance of inclusivity for all cannot be overstated. Digital exclusion, a challenge facing many, especially in the public sector, hinders access to essential services and opportunities.

This blog explores effective strategies to promote digital inclusion, particularly focusing on those currently marginalised or excluded in the digital realm.

Understanding digital exclusion

Before diving into solutions, it’s crucial to understand the challenges faced by the digitally excluded. These challenges include:

• Lack of Access to Technology: Many individuals do not have sufficient access to digital devices or reliable internet connectivity.
• Digital Literacy: A significant portion of the population lacks the necessary skills to navigate the digital world effectively.
• Financial Barriers: The cost of digital technology can be a prohibitive factor for many, especially in lower-income communities.

Strategies for digital inclusion

To address these challenges, several strategies can be implemented:

• Policy Interventions: Governments and organisations can create policies aimed at making technology more accessible and affordable. This might include subsidies for internet access or providing public spaces with free Wi-Fi and digital devices.
• Community-Based Programs: Local initiatives can play a pivotal role in teaching digital skills. Libraries, community centres, and schools can offer workshops and training sessions.
• Partnerships with Stakeholders: Collaborations between the public sector, private companies, and non-profit organisations can lead to innovative solutions. For example, tech companies can donate devices, while educational institutions provide training.
• Inclusive Design: Digital services should be designed with inclusivity in mind, ensuring they are accessible to people with disabilities and those with limited digital skills.
• Awareness Campaigns: Raising awareness about the importance of digital inclusion can change public perception, alleviate technophobia, and encourage more people to get involved in bridging the digital divide.

Recommendations for digital leaders

In your role within digital transformation and operations, you play a crucial part in this journey towards greater digital inclusion. Your expertise and leadership are key in driving these initiatives forward within your Council. Here are some recommendations:

• Leverage Data: Use data analytics to identify areas with significant digital exclusion and tailor your strategies accordingly.
• Engage Communities: Understand the unique needs of different communities and engage with them to find the most effective solutions, appointing ‘Community Champions’ to support projects.
• Promote Digital Literacy: Focus on building digital skills at all levels, from basic internet navigation to more advanced digital skillset.
• Advocate for Inclusion: As a leader, advocate for policies and practices that prioritise digital inclusion.

Conclusion

Encouraging digital take-up amongst the digitally excluded is not just a technological challenge but a societal necessity. By implementing these strategies and recommendations, we can move towards a more inclusive digital future, where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the digital revolution. It’s time to act now and ensure that digital transformation is inclusive for all.

Originally posted here

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In December, Digital Poverty Alliance responded to Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media consultation, to call for online services to provide resources to customers which improve their online safety and digital literacy. In their introductory documentation for the consultation, Ofcom define media literacy as “the ability to use, understand and create media and communications in a variety of contexts”. While this definition is accurate, it encapsulates how discussions surrounding media literacy too often fail to dive deeper into what the capacity to ‘use’ and ‘understand’ media really means – and that this will vary drastically between age groups, media platforms and even the devices being used. As we articulated in our consultation response, Ofcom’s comments on how “platforms have an important role to play in increasing users’ media literacy” need to consider how this role may vary between different age brackets. For example, young people may need more support to detect fake news and protect themselves from harmful online content.

All too often, online media platforms fail to accept responsibility for user safety. The DPA’s response to Ofcom’s survey sought to highlight the urgent need for online platforms to take a more active role in educating and protecting their users from online dangers. While Ofcom asserts the review is ‘separate’ although ‘complimentary’ to online safety regimes, the DPA believes the two should be discussed in tandem to ensure media literacy by design has online safety built in as a central foundation.

We called for a more centralised approach to establishing best practice principles and ensuring these are adequately monitored and evaluated. While it is essential that services consider media literacy as part of their KPIs or OKRs, this alone is not adequate. Media literacy policies, Performance Indicators and Objectives need a consistent approach. Allowing companies to set different measures makes it difficult for these to be compared and assessed in terms of efficacy and impact. We pointed out that Universal Performance Indicators and Objectives would help to compare companies’ efforts and set universal and regulatable policy standards. Additionally, the DPA called for more consistent methods for users and third parties to raise concerns and complaints about companies which fail to implement best practice principles. Current policies allow social media platforms to dictate and implement their own standards, making it difficult or near impossible to hold them to account for failures to protect or educate their users. Centralising policy and providing clear consequences for those who fail to implement these policies would help ensure users are kept safe and help monitor and alter Media Literacy Policies as digital tools and technologies change and develop over the next decade.

Ofcom are currently assessing the consultation responses.  Media literacy by design holds so many opportunities to increase confidence and trust in online services for adults and children alike, and we look forward to seeing the policy changes that result from this work.

Originally posted here

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IWD is often a chance to celebrate the fantastic work of women across every section of society.  But behind the celebration, there lie real issues being faced by women, which one day of the year cannot fix.  IWD is a great chance to celebrate, but it should also be a chance to reflect.

The UN declared their official theme for IWD 2023 as “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.  Their announcement post states that “Advancements in digital technology offer immense opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges, and to achieve the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

And it does – six of the SDGs directly link to the impact of digital poverty, whether that’s 5b – the use of tech to empower women, to Goal 1 itself, the elimination of poverty.  But even in the UK, digital poverty remains a massive issue, with 14m people seeing very low levels of digital engagement, and 10m lacking the skills to turn on and use a computer.  This is huge for a nation that wants plans to be a Science and Technology “superpower” by 2030, according to a strategy launched this week by Rishi Sunak and Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Digital poverty continues to disproportionately impact women, as the care givers to their families.  They are more likely to be in low income roles, and in decisions of data or dinner, the provision of food for their children has to come first.  But this immediate and urgent need comes at the expense of being able to create a future and engage with essential services, with being able to provide laptops to complete homework, with being able to access the healthcare that they need, and being able to find new opportunities for work and training – all tasks we now have to complete online.

So yes, this IWD, let’s reflect on the incredible work that women do – whether that’s in business or raising families.  Let’s develop the technology that can address development goals at home and abroad as we celebrate the role of digital in tackling gender equality, and indeed levelling up the UK.  But let’s not leave those women behind who will never see this post on social media, who will never comment, and for whom it will never resonate – because they lack the device, data and skills to be able to get online to read it.

Originally posted here

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CDPS has been built on doing things differently. We have a joint-female CEO, Harriet Green, and Myra Hunt. They’ve job shared for the past 12 years and are examples of how women at a senior level can succeed. We’re also challenging the norms with forward-thinking policies such as our Period and Menopause Policy.

With the launch of our first ever gender pay gap report, Harriet Green discusses how and why CDPS are embracing equity in this short video:

So, how do our female staff feel on International Women’s Day?

Joanna Goodwin, Head of User-Centred Design, shares her thoughts on being a female senior leader: 

When I was starting a family, there were no role models or women in senior positions that had young families. Many of the senior women I knew didn’t have families or had taken a career break to have a family before returning to work and then making their career path. Neither of those worked for me and so I had an amazing mentor at the time (who was male) who helped me to work through it during pregnancy, maternity leave, and when I returned to work – helped me to work out that balance between having a family and being a present mum, and work. At CDPS we have senior women, including me, who work flexible hours – it is the first place I have worked where it feels more than possible but encouraged and celebrated. With a lot of women having to make the choice, I feel we’ve worked out how you don’t have to choose.

Gemma Murphy, Communications Officer, shares the challenges of building a career as a working mum: 

When I joined CDPS I can say I lacked confidence and constantly second guessed myself. I didn’t feel successful as a working mum. I felt I was mediocre at both work and at home and believed that working mums had to make a choice: work or kids.

Working at CDPS has been a breath of fresh air. The flexible working policy is actively encouraged by senior members of our team and for the first time in my career, I really feel like I’m flourishing. I was able to attend my son’s nativity and sports day without the dread of feeling like I was letting my team down as one of the only parents. I’d never had a ‘walking meeting’ before and now they are a regular part of my week as I walk to and from school runs and dial into calls. CDPS definitely likes to encourage breaking the ‘norm’. Career progression is something I hadn’t really considered but the emphasis on work life balance and continual learning is inspirational. I’m being given opportunities such as talking at CIPR events (I’ve never been a member of a professional body before) and going on courses I had only ever dreamed about. I feel lucky to have such a supportive and encouraging employer and truly believeCDPS is an excellent example of an equitable employer this International Women’s Day.

Vic Smith, Service Designer, shares the importance of building working practices that will serve future generations…

At CDPS we are busting the myth that the best work is done in an office environment between the hours of 9 and 5. As a team, we are open about what works well for us and our families, putting our mental and physical health front and centre of our working practices. This feels especially important as a mother of a teenage daughter. I want to role model a healthy approach to work, whilst also celebrating my career as a source of creativity and fulfilment. I feel privileged to work for an organisation that champions women in digital, design and leadership roles.

In Wales, we are proud to be building a society that will serve our future generations, and at CDPS we are creating a blueprint for what the future can look like for human-centred organisations. I am optimistic that our vision for the future of work will be the norm by the time my daughter enters the workplace.

Poppy Evans, Associate Delivery Manager, shares the importance of having female mentors at work…

As a female starting a career in delivery management, I have been inspired by the female colleagues who surround me at CDPS. Having exposure to females who have experienced successful and interesting careers through challenging historic and traditional norms has enabled me to identify possibilities and goals I would not have previously thought were achievable or accessible to me. Not only am I receiving exposure to these individuals, but I am also being directly supported and mentored by them and they are sharing their knowledge and expertise with me which is invaluable to me in my professional development. Starting a career is always challenging but having a supportive network of colleagues to assist you through your journey creates a productive and constructive environment to develop and progress and I have discovered this network at CDPS in my female co-workers and in the wider organisation.

Sophie Kyrantonis-Jackson, Executive Assistant to the CEOs, shares how women’s experiences are celebrated at CDPS

In a very long and varied working life, I have experienced many different working environments, predominantly with the male employees both outranking the female employees and with a considerable gender pay bias towards the male employees. Despite equal qualifications, women were always treated as “less than.” I first noticed a difference in the early 2000’s working for a globally successful company who valued their female employees both for their work input and by the salary they were paid. There was still a gap, but it was shrinking. Fast forward to now and working for CDPS, it has been a joy to see how all the team are treated equally. There is a wealth of experience for all to draw on from the incredible women who are part of the CDPS organisation with each and every one of them valued for their contribution to the amazing work CDPS do. It is a joy to be part of something that so clearly admires what women can bring to the workplace and treats us all with respect and recognition.

Gender Pay Gap Report

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Take a step back and ask yourself, “How often do I see masculine or genderless representation in AI versus feminine expression?”

As beneficial as feminization can be, it still raises some serious concerns for programmers, AI professionals, and people. This article will offer tips on how we can address the feminization of AI. But first, let’s look at where this issue stems from. 

Where the feminization of AI stems from 

First, AI is a product of the people that program it. These systems are dependent on the data that’s fed to them. 

Biases in programming can be purposeful or accidental due to unconscious, preconceived notions. For example, say a programmer has a gender bias centered around women being in more service-oriented roles rather than in physical, traditionally male positions, like a farmer, landscaper, or plumber. These “masculine” jobs are less likely to be replaced by AI. 

More traditionally feminine roles, like secretaries, customer reps, or cleaners, are more likely to be filled by AI.  In that case, the programmer will be more inclined to attribute feminine qualities to a service-oriented role for an AI tool, like a chatbot or voice assistant. Consciously or unconsciously, they don’t picture men in these positions.

Trying to get people not to be afraid of AI is hard enough. Femininity also helps in this respect because women are unfortunately considered more “human” than men. They’re more likely to be viewed as comforting, caring, and warm. Those characteristics are crucial in curbing fear in people. Although this is helpful for AI adoption, it’s furthering the feminization of AI.

The impact of gendering AI technologies can be dangerous because much of what’s “feminine” in these tools is based on harmful gender stereotypes. Therefore, we must address the feminization of AI to uproot its destructive aspects and reinforce the ones that enhance AI.

How to address the feminization of AI 

Now that we’re a bit more familiar with where the feminization of AI stems from, let’s look at how we can address it so that it can be beneficial rather than harmful. 

Think more deeply about how we view gender 

Addressing the feminization of AI starts with a deeper understanding of how we view gender and the roles associated with gender. Do some research and ask yourself: 

• What are the different gender identities? 
• What are the conversations surrounding them?  
• How are we supporting those that don’t assign a gender to themselves?
• What conscious or unconscious biases may we have toward women? 
• How does this show up in our daily lives?

As you examine gender and gender roles, learning more about gender bias is crucial. Go beyond the basics. Research just how gender and other biases affect various industries that use AI, like healthcare, marketing, and recruiting. 

We must dive deeply into these core facets of gender to figure out how we can create AI tools that reinforce what’s authentic about gender rather than the stereotypes and untrue narratives perpetuated by society. 

Eliminate harmful stereotypes about men

We touched on how people view women as more human, emotional, nurturing, and capable of serving than men. However, isn’t always the truth. There are millions of men out there who love hard, serve, care, and are vulnerable and emotional. They can be just as, if not more, nurturing than women. Most importantly, they’re human too. 

We must work to eliminate the harmful stereotypes about men so that masculinity won’t be associated with negativity as often as it is. As a result, there can be a better balance of masculinity and femininity in AI. Companies developing AI won’t feel as pressured to feminize AI with a female voice or name in order to make it palatable and unthreatening to the masses.

Create more male-oriented AI

At some point, designers, programmers, and leaders in AI will have to go against the grain and create more masculine-presenting AI tools. The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate femininity in AI — it’s to make these tools more balanced. 

Giving male-presenting individuals more representation in AI can help do this. As we eliminate the harmful stereotypes about men, it’s essential that the qualities and behaviors that humanize men and make them more approachable can also be programmed into AI tools. 

Hire more women in AI-based roles 

As mentioned above, there aren’t a lot of women in information technology (IT), AI, and machine learning positions. So, much of what’s programmed into AI tools as “feminine” comes from a man’s perspective of what that entails. 

Hiring more women in AI-based roles can help remove harmful gender stereotypes in AI and create an accurate depiction of the many sides of femininity. Women can also assist in eliminating harmful stereotypes about men. They can do this by sharing their experiences with men and non-binary individuals and coding those traits and behaviors into the AI tools they’re working with. 

Continuously work to eliminate personal biases

At the end of the day, programmers and AI professionals are individuals. They have their own minds and behaviors and are influenced by their experiences and perspectives. They also have their own biases. 

Nobody can make someone work on their personal biases. However, if we all committed to doing so, fewer people in AI or programming roles would have personal and gender-related biases to transfer to the machines and software they’re working with. These efforts would help diminish the feminization of AI over time. 

Conclusion 

Analyzing and, in time, minimizing the feminization of AI is critical. Harmful gender stereotypes that define feminine qualities will continue to be reinforced if we don’t. 

It will take a deeper examination of gender, gender roles, and bias to get us started on the right path. After that, we must work to eliminate harmful stereotypes about men and implement more masculinity in AI 

And finally, we each need to address our personal biases, and women must fill more AI-based roles if we want to truly address the feminization of AI.

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I certainly consider myself to be a woman in tech, however, this wasn’t always the case. Until recently, I used to believe women in tech were exclusively those with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) background. I’m not the only one to feel this way. There’s still a lack of clarity on who women in tech are, alongside a limited representation of their various experiences.

That’s why I decided to take advantage of Ada Lovelace Day and dedicate some time to sharing just how diverse the world of women in tech can be. I want to help push the inclusion of females in tech a step further, and make sure all women feel included regardless of their personal or professional backgrounds.

We need to make the technology industry, workplaces, and society in general more inclusive, and therefore happier and more productive places.

Am I a woman in tech?

Following my earlier career in a range of roles, companies, and sectors, from retail to international development, I jumped into the world of tech. It’s been a couple of years now, but it’s only lately that I started to see myself as a woman in tech. Why is that?

For a while, I thought my non-STEM education and professional experience meant I didn’t belong as part of the “women in tech” group. It wasn’t a completely unsupported assumption. Many activities and initiatives to increase female involvement in tech are centred around attracting women to STEM related qualifications and positions across the industry. This is applaudable (and overdue) because until not long ago, those opportunities didn’t really exist.

But what about all the females working in tech that don’t have a STEM background and/or don’t work in technical roles within the industry? Are they also women in tech? It’s a very clear yes from me. But we’re not always clear about that, both as individuals and institutions.

Only last week, for example, I joined a launch session for a “women in tech” mentoring programme. An expert in marketing asked whether she could be involved as a mentor because she didn’t have a technology background. She was not only reassured she could add significant value, but also surprised to find out she was in fact a woman in tech. The group reminded her that most marketing now happens online via social media and is “quite techie”.

So who are the women in tech?

I come across situations like the one above fairly regularly. I consider this lack of clarity about who women in tech are, a blind spot in the opportunities and support offered to promote female inclusion across the technology industry. A good starting point in tackling this is bringing attention to the diversity of experiences women in tech have.

I’ve been lucky to meet and hear stories from women in tech that come from a great range of backgrounds. And yet, until recently, I assumed there were 2 main female (stereo)types in tech – the STEM women in tech roles and those without a STEM background working in “non-tech” positions (like myself).

Pretty straightforward, right? At least it was, until I heard one of my colleagues speaking about her education and early career within the STEM field, before transitioning into the “non-technical” role she currently holds. After the initial, “Wow, mind blowing!” moment, it got me thinking. Just as women with non-tech backgrounds can train up to take on and grow into high level senior technical positions, it’s equally possible for females to shift from STEM roles into less technical ones throughout their careers.

In short, women in tech really do have surprisingly varied and unique career paths and experiences. And we don’t talk enough about that. We should!

What’s next?

Personally, I’d never considered that I could one day work in the technology industry until I got hired for a role in a digital technology innovation centre through a recruitment agency. Had I known what the position or the company was, I probably wouldn’t have applied. Why? Because I would have taken it for granted that I needed a STEM background to succeed. And in doing so, I would have missed out big time.

By being thrown into the tech world, I proved my own unconscious assumptions wrong before even realising I had them.

Sharing our individual stories and experiences as women in tech with different professional and personal backgrounds can make a huge difference to other females, both those already within the technology industry and those who might work in it one day. Beyond offering the, “Oh, it’s not just me then…” kind of realisations, it also helps us uncover where we need to pay extra attention and make more effort to progress.

And that’s how I’d like to wrap this post up – by encouraging not only my fellow dxw colleagues, but all other women in tech to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day by sharing their stories and the journeys that led them to a career in tech. I can’t wait to hear them!

Originally posted here

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We recognised the great work being done by the existing Women in Digital network but we realised we needed to do more in the data space. That’s why we’ve launched our new ‘Women in Data’ network for female data colleagues across DWP Digital.

Bringing the community together

The data industry is still heavily male-dominated, so we wanted to create a safe environment for our female colleagues to go to for support.  Working in data is truly a good career that provides lots of opportunities to progress and to meet and work with new and all types of people – we’re hoping to use the network to promote that.

There’s a whole range of different roles available in our Data Practice including data analysts, digital performance analysts, data scientists and data engineers. And we all have specific needs and challenges to address that differ from other areas in the organisation.

There’s a real benefit of having networks within networks as it allows us to foster relationships between our people and our community. Creating a network for women working within the Data Practice at DWP Digital will enable us to meet and connect with other women that we’ve potentially not met before, as well as understand some of the challenges we face and how we can work together to improve them.

It’s also a great opportunity for us to celebrate our own personal and career achievements as a community!

Looking forward to the future

It’s still really early days for the network but I’m excited for what’s to come. Our main aim is to create a space for women to get to know each other, and for women to support each other within their roles. But beyond that, we want the network to create its own goals to strive for things that we all collectively want to get out of the network.

There are a lot of good books that highlight and explore how much women have been excluded from the data industry in the past. It’s important that women are there making those decisions so that this inequality doesn’t continue to happen. We need to present and be part of the right conversations so our voices can help make those key decisions.

Be digital with purpose

Working in data at DWP Digital is unique. Pretty much everywhere else that you work, you’re using your talent to make loads of money for somebody else. Everything is geared towards profit. Everything is geared towards improving that conversion number and improving that overall revenue number.

When you come to government, you take those skills and you get to put them towards changing people’s lives, making a real difference for people. Not only this but you get to work alongside other people who only want to help and to improve the lives of people in this country.

Why wouldn’t you want to use your data talent for good? It was my biggest reason for wanting to move here. I was tired of just trying to get money out of people and I wanted to make a real difference in the work that I do.

Even the smallest things feel like you’re making a real difference for people in the UK, so visit the DWP Digital careers site and join us today.

Originally posted here

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