In this article I'm gonne talk about the term "Women In Tech" (and a little bit about my journey) because I feel like we don't talk enough about this term! And apparently some people still don't understand the intention behind it or why even it matters!
Table of Content :
Note 1 : If you find this cover pretty, just know that I didn't make it lol. It's from this article
Note 2 : I'm gonna quote some stuff from this article. you should totally check this article out btw.
Note 3 : You can also check out this great article
1. Intro
I come from a Persian community and I can't emphasize how bad things are for women, especially in tech.
Most of people in Persian community have not a single clue what "Women In Tech" means or what its purpose is! And I'm pretty sure it's not just the Persian community!
A while ago, there was a tweet about "Persian women in web 3 (or blockchain, I don't really remember)"!
And the comments were truly disgusting. The amount of men joking about it and acting like it's about dividing genders, were just disgusting! And then they called us?? women?? sexist?? towards men???!!!
But anyways, you know what the sad part is? it's that it wasn't just men, there were a few women who were making fun of it as well !!
Remember ladies :
So you see? This is why we need to talk about the term "Women In Tech" and (hopefully!!) educate some people!
2. The Term "Women In Tech"
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| Source : women-in-tech.org |
Some people find it empowering to be called "women in tech" and some might find it slightly problematic and damaging!
Well, 'problematic' and 'damaging' might not be exactly the right words. Let's just say this term could have some negative effects!
And in this section I'll be covering both the good parts and bad parts of being called "women in tech"!
A. The good And Empowering Side
I want to start this section with a quote from this interview, then will break it down and talk about it.
It let's women and young girls know there is a place for them in tech, and that they’re not alone.
It has the ability to inspire and empower women who aren’t all already in tech to pursue that as a career, to raise awareness that there are women in here, that we can do this and that we can do this and it’s not just for men.
It draws attention and raises awareness to the fact there aren’t currently a lot of women in tech, and the motivation behind it is that we need more to come and join us. And I like the conversation and buzz that generates opportunities to hear other women’s stories that you can relate to. - Niamh O’Connor , Brand Editor at Intercom
I. "It let's women and young girls know there is a place for them in tech, and that they’re not alone"
As a woman, who deals with sexism and misogynism on a daily basis, I've never gone through stuff like "oh no, it's a man's job, I don't belong in tech" etc, and I'm really grateful for that.
So for me to accept the fact that I WANT and CAN pursue a career in tech was never a problem.
But sadly that's not the case for everyone and there are women who think tech is not for them and it's for men.
With that being said, I've never had anyone support me or tell me, 'I can achieve anything', 'I am smart enough' etc.
I'm part of a ** community (I don't wanna name the community for some personal reasons), I know how it feels like when you don't feel seen or represented, how it feels like when you think you don't belong, or how it can make you feel like you are alone!
This is why the term "women in tech" matters and can be empowering.
As I said I've never gone through stuff like "I don't belong in tech", I haven't even achieved big wins (yet), but I am where I am because of other amazing women in tech, which I'm gonna name some of them later.
When you see other women share their stories and how you can relate to them, it makes you feels amazing and inspired.
So you see, the more people talk about it, the more you feel seen and represented, you don't feel alone anymore. The feeling of "I don't belong in tech" will eventually go away. It empowers you and helps you find your place in tech
II. "It draws attention and raises awareness"
when I talk to my non-tech friends about my web development stuff, they get so surprised! They don't even know what this is!
Their first choice as a their job is (usually) what other women do, which in my country, it's 'a hairdresser', 'a makeup artist' and ' a manicurist'.
I was talking about web development to one of my friends earlier, and she had never heard of it but found it cool and impressive. She even tried coding for a little while but then dropped it.
So this is where the "drawing attention and raising awareness" part of the 'women in tech' comes in.
Maybe if my friend knew and had seen more women in tech, she would have kept learning and believing in the fact she can do it too.
Here's another quote from that interview which I mentioned earlier :
I don’t think you can fight for equality for a group of people unless you have a name for them and unless you have a way to talk about them - Lily Beauvilliers, a member of the Intercom employee resource group
I don't have much to say about it, except that I 100% agree with this. Like how else are you going to fight for equality and justice, if you don't have a name for your cause!
Here are a few examples :
- Women in blockchain
- Black women in tech
- Women in stem
B. The Negative Side
While this term is meant to be empowering and inspiring, it can also be the opposite and have negative effects.
I haven't experienced this part ,because I haven't switched careers into tech (yet), so I don't have much to say about this, but yeah, sadly this side exists !
It can make you feel like you didn’t earn something, and you only got to where you are because you are a “woman in tech”, and If your male peers weren’t successful in the job, they’d almost imply that you got it because you’re a woman in tech - Nidhi Kamat, Product Manager at intercom
When you get a job in tech as a "women" you might question your skills/talents, like 'did I get the job because of my skills or was it simply because I'm a women in tech?'
It can make you feel like you were hired just fill the diversity sit in the company and makes you feel you don't deserve this spot!
I was talking to my friend earlier and we kinda talked about this! Like how some companies hire women to just put on a show for the sake of diversity and then wouldn't even pay them fairly!
This is the lowest of low that companies can do!
This is why some women don't want to call themselves "women in tech", which is totally understandable.
3. My Goals :
Like everyone else, I have so many crazy goals, which I'd like to share a few of them.
My goal as a Persian women in tech is to create a super crazy awesome group of 2-3 Persian women to help each other out, build stuff together, make money together, brag about it to anyone who would dare make fun of women in tech and show other Persian women that they can do it.
I don't think I've ever talked about this specific goal with anyone, and saying it out loud gives me the chill, like in a good way!
And my goals as a developer are :
- Starting my own freelancing business
- Collab with other awesome developers.
Ssshhh don't tell anyone but I've already talked to my awesome designer friend, and we might collab in the future! - I'd also love to work for Polywork and/or Hashnode one day. 😅
4. The Women In Tech I Admire
I love and admire every single woman in tech. But I'd like to mention a few of them that I've interacted with and have like super mad respect for them :
- Ale : Do I even need to introduce her?? Ale is truly inspiring and I absolutely love her (psst, Ale if you're reading : us having a meeting, when? 😅)
- Sumudu : Sumudu is literally one the kindest and nicest person. She's so inspiring and always helping everyone. I admire her so much.
- Kass and Annie : Both are super talented and their CSS skill is so good. I'd like to get on their level one day!
- Ania Kubów : Ania is literally one of the best content creator out there and she's super awesome. (I love her accent btw 😁)
And here are some honorable mentions :
- Lyn
- Allyse
- Andreea
- Eleftheria
- Ali Spittel, Emma and Novall Swift: Never interacted with them but they are truly an inspiration and I look up to them
- Trecia
- Binge
- Ayesha
- And my Persian squad : Niloofar, Maryam and Atefeh
The list could go on, but I kept it short. I love everyone ❤️
5. A Few Last Words :
Keep talking , sharing your stories and encouraging other women, so that they can feel seen and represented.
To all of women in tech and those who are trying to make it :
I see you
You've got this
I love you
I support you
You matter
You are smart
You are brilliant
You are brave
And NEVER let anyone make you feel less than what you are.
And if you'd like to connect with me, you can reach out to me on twitter 🐦🐦 🥰