Software Development Needs Women Urgently.

Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash

Does it occur to anyone else as strange that we work in a profession that is so male-dominated that in many teams the presence of a woman demands comment?

That isn’t normal? I’ve been doing this for too long.

Missed opportunities

Men are oftentimes told to listen to the women in their lives. Teams are lacking diversity and simply stick to hiring “the guys”.

The following all represent missed opportunities within software engineering.

Lack of Diverse Perspectives

A broader team means more voices. If you want to solve complex problems getting more perspectives on the case will help you to solve that problem. Studies have shown that diverse teams make better decisions and perform better, so why aren’t we doing that?

I can solve complex problems. Alone.

User Experience

Software is used by a diverse range of people, so having a diverse range of software engineers can help ensure that products are designed and built in a way that meets the needs of all users, not just a subsection of them.

I know what people want.

Untapped Talent Pool

By not engaging a significant portion of the population, the industry is missing out on a vast pool of potential talent. We struggle to take on staff of sufficient quality, yet seemingly are unable to (for want of a better term) exploit talent.

You mean we could employ able people (no matter who) and then train them for a certain business. This will never catch on.

Potential for Bias in AI and ML

If AI and machine learning algorithms are designed mostly by men, they may unintentionally incorporate gender biases, leading to fairness issues in AI outcomes.

I hope AI doesn’t terminate us all. Not yet.

Lack of Role Models for Girls and Women

A shortage of women in the field can deter girls and women from considering software engineering as a career path, further perpetuating the cycle.

We are never going to get out of this, are we?

Inequitable Economic Opportunities

High-paying tech jobs are often out of reach for women if the field does not make conscious efforts to be inclusive. This is perpetuating the wage gap.

We just aren’t working to change this.

Workplace Culture

Lack of gender diversity can contribute to the creation of a workplace culture that is not welcoming or inclusive to women, thereby discouraging talented female engineers from joining or staying in the field.

What is surprising is that the whole of software engineering seems like this.

The Canary in the coal mine

We are missing so many opportunities by effectively excluding women from the cohort of software engineers.

And that is it. That’s the issue

As an industry, we are leaving an opportunity on the table. What’s worse is we are avoiding implementing the solution.

Sound familiar engineers?

Conclusion

I just hope we figure this out before the industry implodes in some sort of sausage fest of missed opportunities.