In the West, the proportion of women in IT is declining. Do you think the situation in Asia is better in this regard?
I do not have a view into the US. Asia has experienced an uptrend in women in IT as it becomes more and more widely accepted that women work after marriage or childbirth. Several technology firms have also led the way in providing strong family support via employee benefits and facilities e.g. childcare facilities, extensive medical coverage and insurance, flexible work hours, etc. This has overall helped in ensuring women in IT have more and more reasons to stay in the IT workforce.
Women leave IT because they can and that men typically don’t have that alternative because they tend to be the primary breadwinners. Do you agree?
This is a common perception. Socially and culturally, men have been tagged as the 'external' driving force and women, the 'internal' driving force. External in the sense of building a career and bringing in the dough, internal in the sense of family or being a wife or mother above all else. This has transformed quite a bit in Asia over the last 10 years and will continue to keep moving towards the long path of equality, i.e. sharing the burden at work and home.
Does gender diversity bring a competitive edge to IT companies?
Most companies or individuals do not see how gender diversity can bring a competitive edge to IT companies. Creating the need for gender diversity should be seen as creating a better environment by having a women workforce, which in turn increases the chances of women excelling and climbing up the corporate ladder over time. Perceptions of women as someone who also bring along other commitments such as family duties or procreating responsibilities will cloud the judgment of a good female candidate over a male candidate with the same level of competency and career achievements. More often than not, the male is chosen over the female due to such perceptions which would in turn impact the gender diversity in a company. If a company is able to pay special attention in trying to reduce or even eliminate such discrimination or assumptions, it will certainly allow a greater female population to exist and in turn create a greater diversity where it is a battle of competencies and smarts at the end of the day not undermined by gender perceptions.
Should IT companies consciously increase the percentage of women in their employee pool?
To increase the role of women in the workforce, IT companies do indeed need to consciously work on increasing the percentage of women in the employee pool. Creating the need for gender diversity is absolutely the first step towards consciously increasing the percentage of women in the employee pool. Ultimately, a shortlist of strong candidates for each job should ideally encompass the preferred criteria of “gender diversity”. Ultimately, the best man or woman wins the job. Without such a preferred criteria to introduce a closer look at the gender type, any perceptions or discrimination of woman's commitment to work may already have screened them out of the job.
What are the benefits of doing so?
Women can definitely be as capable or as committed as their male counterparts. Creating an environment that provides an equal opportunity for both genders to excel is the way to go. IBM, HP and Microsoft are some top technology companies that have women at the helm in key positions – women who lead a full life both at work and at home, and have displayed the ability to juggle both aspects well and be committed to excelling well in both areas. It is purely inspirational to see such women at work, a great message to send to all women especially in a country like Singapore or Japan where birth rates are declining. Women can have their cake and eat it. Men and women are made differently and their management styles can bring about a different work environment which would otherwise be dominated by males only.
What is the impact on team dynamics, working hours, customer satisfaction, cost of facilities and attrition?
Investing in talent has been a hot topic for some time now in talent-scarce Asia. Top talent is key to any organisation's success and retention is key for such employees. To provide the flexibility or facilities necessary to support the employee will in turn attract retention and increased commitment. Long working hours, be it for males or females, will eventually take its toll and rip productivity and commitment away. Creating a more balanced work life environment would benefit both genders alike.
What are the challenges of recruiting, retaining and managing women employees?
Perception is reality. Discrimination is rampant. These are the challenges of recruitment, retaining and managing women employees.
Is there a need for special policies to retain women?
I would not say 'special'. These policies, be it family benefits or facilities, should benefit both a male or female employee.
