Challenges faced by women in tech

Heather VanCura: I think many women are interested in tech but often don't stay in it. I think the ratio is that over 40% of women who work in tech quit within 10 years, whereas 16% of men do. That's almost triple the rate of women leaving versus men leaving.

What women say is that they're not given the prime assignments, they don't feel welcome, and they face sexist behavior. Those are the top three reasons given for women leaving tech.

Geertjan Wielenga: I've seen you do a presentation that addresses men: "Top 10 Ways to Ally for Women in Tech." Can you talk a bit about that and what those 10 ways are in a nutshell?

Heather VanCura: This form of advocacy isn't part of my job, but I want to talk about this and change it. Everyone talks about the concept of diversity, but if we want things to change, we have to do something.

My original idea was to give men 10 ways that they can help. If we want to change the environment, we need participation from men also. The first step is the way you think about women in tech. Rather than saying, "I'm an ally," try to think of it as a verb: a thing that you actually do.

Secondly, you need to listen more than you talk, especially when you talk to women about this topic. Ask questions, acknowledge that you might not always get it right, and be open-minded.

Assignment distribution is the third point. That's thinking about how different people on your team are assigned projects. Are the men getting the prime assignments? Are they the ones taking all the ownership of the code, or are you distributing that across different people on your team?

One way to think about that is housework versus real work. There are always some housekeeping tasks: cleanup, reviewing the slides, and so on. Make sure that you're rotating those things. You can also watch out for housework in an office environment. Make sure that you're not always relying on women to clean up the kitchen or clean up the meeting room afterward. I've observed that happening many times.

Creating a friendly environment is the fourth point. This addresses the problem of women leaving the tech field. Women often leave tech because they don't feel comfortable. Look at your job descriptions and the values that you're putting out there. Often, you'll see a culture that isn't as welcoming to people with different needs and interests. Rather than putting women into a mental grouping in your mind, try to relate to every person as an individual.

I don't get this often, but if you meet a woman at a conference, don't assume that she's in marketing or there with her partner.

If you're talking to a woman, don't ask, "Who takes care of your kids when you're at a conference? How do you balance it all?" This tends to send the message that she should be somewhere else right now.

The fifth tip is speaking up. When a woman is talking, one of the common things I've seen is that she will get interrupted. Women get interrupted three times more often than men do. Speak up in those situations. You could say, "I don't think she was finished yet."

The sixth point may seem obvious but it isn't always done. When you see something inappropriate happening, intervene. If you can see someone is uncomfortable, you should be stepping in. It's not enough to just be silent—you need to actively participate. In these types of situations, you need to speak up.

Being aware of character trait assignments is number seven. These are the types of traits that tend to be attributed to women when they're behaving a certain way, for example, abrasive, aggressive, or bossy. Filter that out and think, "If a man was behaving in the same way, would I call him abrasive?" It tends to be a word that we don't really use for men. Often, if a man is behaving in that same way, he will be called a strong leader.

The eighth point returns to the idea of self-promotion and negotiation. Be willing to encourage women if you get an initial reaction of resistance and self-doubt.

Number nine is about unconscious bias. You have to recognize that everyone has bias, men and women. One of the best ways to identify bias is by mentoring someone different from you.

If you're a woman, you don't have to mentor a woman and if you're a man, you don't have to mentor a man. You're actually going to learn more from each other through your differences.

The final point is inviting women to attend and speak at conferences or other speaking opportunities. Suggest women. Invite and encourage women to participate in panels. Often, people say, "This conference is open to everyone, but I don't see any women submitting talks."

I reply, "Maybe you need to specifically invite women, just to get them started." It could be that once you get through that initial resistance, there is progress from there. Once you start speaking at one conference, another conference will want you. Before you know it, you're speaking at many conferences and booking travel!