At Sophos, we strive for gender balance in the workplace. But we recognise that as an industry, technology is currently failing to attract women. That’s why we’re pleased to be part of a group of 18 organisations from all areas of the technology sector who are tackling the shortage of women in the industry.
By signing the Tech She Can Charter we have committed to work together to encourage and inform females about technology roles.
Source: PwC Women in Tech
Led by PwC, the charter aims to look at the industry as a whole, and challenge the causes behind the shortage of women. It starts with the culture at school – young girls often aren’t readily being offered science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) as career options, they aren’t being provided with information about what working in technology involves, and they’re not seeing enough female role models in the sector. This needs to change.
The Tech She Can Charter founder and Women in Tech Leader at PwC, Sheridan Ash, explains:
Waiting until women are entering work is simply too late – to boost the number of females in technology we need to take coordinated action to start inspiring girls to consider technology careers while they are still at school…Promoting visible and relatable role models is a huge part of this, as it’s hard for girls to aspire to be something they can’t see. There are many brilliant women working in technology roles right across the UK, from creatives and designers, to coders and data scientists. Technology is open to all and we need to get that message across.
As part of the initiative, we will be helping to deliver that message to schools by working with educators and policy creators to change the curriculum. In association with teachers, we’ll also be developing educational content to inspire young people and running a campaign to change the current idea of working in technology, as well as helping to celebrate female role models.