For many years now, there is a continuing gender stereotyping in the programming industry. Many companies seem to be unwelcoming to women and it is seen in the wage gap where women were offered a lower salary than men for the same job. The latest statistics also show that there is a low employment rate and promotion of women in the said industry. Employers tend to first consider the marital status of women applicants and end up refusing to hire them just because of the probability that they may take maternity leave in the future. Companies don’t want their projects to be left hanging and deal with temporary replacements. As a result of those stereotypical judgments, women’s qualifications and skills were disregarded. Furthermore, it is concluded in a study that women-written codes are accepted more only when their gender is left unknown. Undoubtedly, this stereotypical judgment has come a long way and it largely affects perceptions in the work quality and success of a woman.
Way back in the early days of computing, women have already played a vital role in the technology industry. There’s the development of Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) which is the first programming language that uses words instead of numbers, the programming of Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) which is known to be the first electronic computer, and many other major contributions. These historical facts clearly prove that women are the brains behind the major advancement in programming. Consequently, they truly deserve an unbiased environment in this male-dominated industry today.
The stereotypical environment in the programming industry is not just harming us now but it also has an alarming impact on future generations of women. It might hinder them from wanting to explore the world of programming, knowing the toxic reality that they will be undervalued. They might just choose to steer away from what interest them wherein otherwise they might be really good at. What a waste of talent! If there will be a change in how women are perceived by their abilities to create codes, it will be an influential factor in fostering women’s confidence in pursuing their interest in programming. No woman will be bothered anymore regarding perceived gender biases in the workplace. However, the reality is there’s still a long way to go before we can totally close the gender gap in this programming industry.
A chief technology officer named Lauren Mosenthal once left a remarkable quote saying, “Life is a series of building, testing, changing and iterating. “Therefore, what women can do right now is to start building foundations of information in preparation for their career goals. They must regularly test their skills and abilities to be able to identify in what area they need to improve. It’s also about having a change of perspective. If they believe they can, others will follow. Repeat the learning process and continue to grab every opportunity to grow in their chosen specialization. Consistently debug the system inside of them. Identify what’s preventing them from pursuing what they really want to do and have a self-evaluation to remove all the errors in their mindset. They shouldn’t allow those gender-based issues to make them feel inadequate for their preferred career. Instead, they should strive to do their best and prove that women’s work, ideas, influence, and voice really matters.
Article by Patricia Cortez
CCS IoN+ 