This year, for International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the female trailblazers of the tech industry and the women of EasyVista. And in this post, we’re going there -- we're talking about tough and controversial topics from imposter syndrome to societal expectations and how to handle it and support each other for success.
For those women just starting out in male dominated careers to those who have pushed for a seat at the table where decisions are being made, this week we celebrate you!
A Look at Women in Tech
As we celebrate how far women have come, let’s take a look at some interesting statistics of women in tech and women in the workforce:
- Large global technology firms, on average, will reach nearly 33% overall female representation in their workforces in 2022, up slightly more than 2 percentage points from 2019. (Deloitte)
- 31% of IT employees are women. (Gartner research)
- 43% of women said they had taken on more responsibility at work during the pandemic versus 33% of men. (Trust Radius Survey)
While some of these statistics seem to highlight the challenges for working women, they also highlight rapid change.
Women have played a major role in the creation and advancement of technology – from Grace Hopper who created the foundation of programming languages to Annie Easley who innovated coding (with several women in between). These trailblazers made a way for more women now than ever to enter male dominated fields. And despite the “Great Resignation” brought on by Covid, more women in tech are here to stay.
We spoke with a variety of women from #TeamEV, from our North America marketing director to a software engineer, saleswoman, and many in between to kick off a greater conversation of challenges women face in the workplace, nuggets of wisdom, and ways to lift each other up.
Career Challenges for Women in Tech
Whether you’re a woman in tech or any other male dominated industry, there is one challenge that seems to ring true for us all: imposter syndrome.
What do we mean by imposter syndrome? We mean that little voice in your head that messes with your self-confidence and says “be careful, they might discover that you don’t belong here. You aren’t nearly as good as the men on the team.”
Whether you call it “imposter syndrome” or simply learning to trust your own opinions when yours is among the only female voice in the room, some of the women of EasyVista have shared their experiences with this feeling and how they’ve worked to overcome it.
- “One of the professional challenges that I have encountered as a woman is managing to have self-confidence. My first experience in the professional IT world was complicated. The work offered did not correspond to what I wanted to do, and I felt like I was not up to it. The result was a questioning of my skills. I finally changed company and regained my self-confidence thanks to missions that suited me better.” – Alice Friry, R&D Engineer, France
- “A particular issue that I find has had an undeniable impact in my professional life is self-perceived inadequacy. The social upbringing of women often disconnects our value from our practical/technical capabilities, especially those considered more traditionally masculine in nature, while glorifying traits such as humility and passiveness. These social cues and conditioning can lead to feelings of inadequacy and lack of confidence and assertiveness when striving for success in a male dominated field.” – Vanessa Almeida, Consultant, Portugal
- “I’ve had past experiences of men treating me poorly because I was a young woman. It was a situation that taught me that we women cannot show the weak side and let ourselves be treated badly. I learned to respond, politely, without being intimidated.”- Luminita Zaharciuc, Consultant, Portugal
- “Among the difficulties that a working woman has to face is that of being able to overcome social expectations. My greatest working success was being able to overcome this obstacle and emerge as a professional, with a more competitive and aggressive "masculine" attitude.” - Carla Di Matteo, BDR, Italy
Advice for Women in Tech
Women in tech – whether you work as an engineer, in sales, marketing, customer success, or any other team – must lift each other up. From all walks of life and all parts of the globe, the women of EasyVista are an excellent example and have this advice to share:
- "For women considering a similar career path, I recommend that they are clear about their objectives, have a plan to achieve them and are consistent in their execution." - Elena Martinez, Senior Account Manager, Spain
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“With calm and perseverance, you get all the results in life. In work you need to have enthusiasm, energy, commitment and creativity to bring added value to the organization on a daily basis.” - Carla Di Matteo, BDR, Italy
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“What I would say to women who consider doing the same journey as me is first of all not to be afraid. There’s no need to be a “geek” to do computer science.” - Alice Friry, R&D Engeineer, France
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“Be curious. Do not hesitate to go into new areas and enrich yourself with new knowledge that will always serve you in this profession.” - Christine Daussac, Technical Writer, France
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“I would advise other women not to feel intimidated by the perceived difficulty curve when entering the IT field. Few skills, even the most technical, are out of reach for those with the determination to pursue and work to acquire them. Your best bet truly is to invest in your own skill set and make sure to always take pride in the quality of your work.” - Vanessa Almeida, Consultant, Portugal
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“If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice, it would be to enjoy life more.” - Claudia Marcelos, Marketing Manager, Portugal
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“The best things you can do is to take control and ownership of your professional path. That means expressing yourself clearly and being an advocate for your own interests. Whether it’s negotiating a salary increase or proposing a new idea to your department, being hesitant is unlikely to get you what you want. The more you can project confidence and competence, the more you’ll be able to build confidence in your abilities and this contributes to your professional growth.” - Chiara Chittano, Inside Sales, Italy
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“Enjoy the journey! The route to get to where I am today ended up being a lot more circuitous than I would’ve ever imagined. I held on to this old school idea that if your career path isn’t linear, it reflected some type of indecision or failure, but with each new area of specialization has come new challenges, new opportunities for growth and new connections that have taught me valuable lessons along the way.” - Zoe Seroky, NAM Marketing Director, U.S
Celebrating Achievements and Inspiration
On the topic of success and achievements, our team has a few thoughts on what makes someone successful, and what they’re proud of achieving.
“Not only as a woman in general but as an older sister to two female engineers who share their struggles with me daily and as a mom with a daughter, I think International Women’s Day is important. Celebrating the achievements of women and supporting action against gender inequality is vital. We all know the world can’t run without women (enter, Beyonce).” - Zoe Seroky, NAM Marketing Director, U.S
“I was raised by three generations of unbelievably strong and amazing women, to whom I truly owe and dedicate all my accomplishments. So it’s only right that I celebrate them and all women on this Women’s Day!”- Vanessa Almeida, Consultant, Portugal
Follow us on Social for More!
Want to learn more about the EasyVista team and the talented and innovative women working behind the scenes to change the ITSM industry? Follow us on social media all week long for more of their stories and insights.
