Over half of female workers in the tech industry say that someone in their office has implied that being a woman may prohibit their career.
This research was conducted by CWJobs, a tech recruiter which shows women still face sexism in the tech industry. It found that 51 per cent of women in tech said that someone has insinuated that being a woman will stall their career.
As well as just under a quarter (23 per cent) saying they have experienced promotional discrimination based on their gender.
The tech industry is dominated by males, as only 19 per cent of those working in the sector are women.
The research was also able to provide a list of the most sexist phrases towards women in the tech industry:
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- Cheer up / Smile more – 83 per cent
- Sweetheart/love/darling etc. – 93 per cent
- Can you make us all tea / coffee? – 69 per cent
- Not bad for a girl – 66 per cent
- Oh well done! (sarcastic) – 65 per cent
- Can I speak with your boss? – 63 per cent
- Sorry, am I being too technical for you? – 61 per cent
- Don’t get emotional / cry like a girl – 59 per cent
- You need to be more outgoing / bubbly – 58 per cent
- Girls can’t do science / maths / technology, engineering etc – 53 per cent
- You don’t look like you work in tech / You are too pretty to be doing that – 51 per cent
- You probably got the job because you’re female – 46 per cent
- Shouldn’t you be getting your nails / hair done instead? – 45 per cent
- This is a tech event, are you sure you should be here? – 39 per cent
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Christine Forder, head of CWJobs’ Women in Tech group said:
This notoriously male-led culture needs to change to accommodate a more diverse workforce. Companies and their employees have a responsibility to make women feel welcome, equal and importantly, respected therefore any form of sexism needs to be addressed.
Whether it’s the casual use as a term of endearment, or something as immoral as being overlooked for a promotion they deserve, at CWJobs we think it is paramount businesses tackle the culture of sexism right now and lead by example.
CWJobs spoke to 2001 individuals in full time employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) aged over 18, with 506 of these people being women.
Interested in implementing inclusivity and diversity within the workplace? We recommend Unconscious Bias in the Workplace.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
This is an appalling expose of what lurks just beneath the surface regarding gender in the workplace – particularly disappointing in a sector where WHAT you know is the most important thing by a long way, rather than your gender, age, ethnicity, favourite colour, star sign.
Some I don’t get though are :-
– Cheer up / Smile more – 83 per cent
– Can I speak with your boss? – 63 per cent
– You need to be more outgoing / bubbly – 58 per cent (weird for a sector where autistic traits are often highly valued)
Can someone please explain to me in what way these are gender-specific ? – or is someone trying way too hard to make it as long a list as possible for dramatic effect ?