We need more women mentors.
This was the key message in a Philippine Web Designers Organization (PWDO) & User Experience Philippines (UXPH), which invited key women mentors in the technology space to talk with other aspiring designers.
The original concept for the program came from the fact that gender diversity & women empowerment has been found to have a positive impact on businesses. McKinsey presented a case on gender diversity in the workplace and its impact on business growth:
“ In the original research, using 2014 diversity data, we found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15 percent more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. In our expanded 2017 data set this number rose to 21 percent and continued to be statistically significant.”
In the report, executive teams of outperforming companies have more women in line roles versus staff roles. The line (or direct) manager plays an important role in the operation of many businesses. The individual is responsible for managing employees and resources in pursuit of achieving specific functional or organizational goals.
Yet, women are currently under represented in the workplace.
Women are underrepresented at every level, and women of color are the most underrepresented group of all, lagging behind white men, men of color, and white women. What’s interesting is the opportunity for women in the Technology space. Tech is one of the fastest growing sectors.
Tech workers earn on average $108,900 in 2016, more than twice the average national wage of $53,040. Tech is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors, accounting for 7M of US jobs and accounted for 10% of all new jobs created in 2016
Why women don’t go into tech?
The problem starts at the very beginning, as only 36% of entry-level jobs go to females, indicating that women are just not opting in. In Engineering, the problem is even more severe, as only 20% of engineering students are women and only 11% of engineers working in tech are women. That means that 40%+ of female engineers chose not to pursue a career in tech. According to a research study from Stanford, much of this gap can be attributed to the lack of role models and mentors in tech.
Let’s introduce more women role models.
UXPH & PWDO wanted yo empower women’s confidence through the introduction of a support system of mentors who are in the tech, user experience and web design fields.
This unique meetup had mentors doing one-on-one & deeper discussion sessions with participants and mentors. Some eventually forming smaller discussion groups.
Although the flow of the session could be improved, the feedback for the event has been promising. Other ladies asked for more similar meetups in the future.