For some time now, articles about women in software development have been appearing regularly. The variety of topics ranges from interviews with women's careers and descriptions of their daily work to articles about sociological studies that explain the reasons why girls so rarely enter technical professions. Sometimes there are offers such as workshops or study courses that aim to get women interested in IT.
We took this as an opportunity to shed some light on the subject and give a little insight into ourcompany. After all, almost a third of our workforce is female. We want everyone to know that and we want it to stay that way.
A few general statistics on women in IT
By reading a few articles, we have learned that the first programmers in the world were female and that software development was originally considered a female profession in the USA (1). Nevertheless, the statistics today reflect the exact opposite:
On average, only 9 percent of women start an apprenticeship in IT, while at least 18 percent of women start a degree course (2). According to Bitkom, around 15 percent of employees in IT were women in 2015 (3). In contrast, the proportion of women at punkt.de is significantly higher. The proportion of women working in software development is currently (March 2018) 25 percent. We are proud of this and are happy about every application from a woman, as this is still far too rare today. Mr. Jonas Bart, contact person for HR & Recruiting at CyberForum, can also confirm this. He is in charge of the "Finish IT 2.0" dropout program. Since the project began in January 2015, only 11% of applications have been from women. The situation is similar for the Karlsruhe "InformatikBOGY" program. In recent years, between 14 and 22 percent of applicants have been women.
Why women should work in IT and the benefits for everyone
Mixed teams work better! It's not just theory in the form of studies and books on work psychology that says this. No, our female and male colleagues say that too.
For example, an article in Business Ladies describes how women are sometimes very pragmatic when it comes to development. They prefer to make things simpler rather than more complicated and, above all, they don't just develop for the sake of technology, but strive for solutions that are suitable for everyday use. Nevertheless, they also want to look at new perspectives and thus keep innovation alive. (4)
According to a Developer Week survey, a third of respondents feel that a larger proportion of women in a team leads to improved harmony within the team. In addition, an almost equal proportion of respondents expect more innovation and more intuitive user interfaces (5). These points are also confirmed by our colleagues, who say that communication is better when women are part of the team. There is also a more pleasant working atmosphere and work is more solution-oriented. Jörg, one of our colleagues from technology, says: "Mixed groups work better because, for example, there are no rank battles". "And because women look at things differently, which is very important in our work, we come up with more individual solutions that lead us to our goal," adds our colleague Ursula.
A third source describes what many of our female and male colleagues alike emphasize: "To be taken seriously by men, you have to argue objectively and always present yourself professionally" (6). "We women at punkt.de are helped by the fact that there are already women working here who implement customer wishes with know-how, commitment and goal orientation. This is transferred positively to new female colleagues and makes it a little easier for them," says Christiane. Women also have to assert themselves at punkt.de, as in any other job, but they are not met with any skepticism from their male colleagues.
Thanks to interviews with our female colleagues, we have also learned that our women give us an advantage as a company when it comes to customer contact. Not so that we can take part in meetings as showpieces, but so that we can be there for our female customers as professional contacts and exchange ideas on an equal footing. After all, when working with our customers, it has become clear time and again that women respond differently to requests, communicate differently and are more likely to strive for harmonious cooperation.
The diversity of IT: Women at punkt.de - Women in other IT companies
The variety of professional fields in IT is quite large, even if there are only a few IT training professions. Our developers basically all do the same thing and yet they have very different specializations:
Testing
Usability
Search optimization
Data processing
Front-end development
Software architecture
and more.
We are particularly proud of the fact that our women help to drive the company forward, for example by introducing new technologies and methods. For example, Christiane has brought layout testing into the company. This means we can now detect errors in the layout of our customer projects more quickly when a lot of changes are made to the code (to the blog post about layout testing). And thanks to Daniela (a former colleague), we have also managed to bring our two business areas - development and hosting - closer together and are looking more closely at DevOps and automation.
In addition to the aforementioned focal points that we have in a web agency, there are many other directions in which you can develop in IT. Be it sales, the somewhat more hardware-related profession of an operator or system integrator or the role of a product owner. In recent years, more and more professions such as user experience expert, cyber security expert, engineer for big data analysis or consulting jobs have been added. And there are certainly many more.
Despite the great diversity, as the statistics clearly show, the proportion of women in all IT jobs is usually rather low. Even the "InformatikBOGY" program does not have an increasing number of female applicants, which Tatiana Rhode, project manager of InformatikBOGY at KIT, very much regrets.
InformatikBOGY is a unique nationwide initiative of the KIT in Karlsruhe that combines the compulsory internship at grammar schools (BOGY - Berufsorientierung an Gymnasien) with a focus on computer science. The aim is to dispel the clichés about computer scientists at an early stage. It also gives pupils an insight into research and everyday life in industry. InformatikBOGY is carried out with partner companies such as punkt.de.
We hope that more girls will believe in their achievements and dare to get a taste of the IT professions before they leave school. Because later, as computer science students, they are even more consistent than the students and complete their studies more successfully.
Tatiana Rhode, project manager of the InformatikBOGY at KIT
How can we get more women into IT?
According to a 2014 Allensbach study, the most popular professions among girls are still medical, social and artistic professions. Technical or even IT-related professions are not even on the radar for many (7). And even in our country, some women only work because they came into contact with IT by chance, either shortly before or after their studies. This is where we need to start when it comes to counteracting the shortage of skilled workers in IT. According to IT expert Diana Knodel, girls are very enthusiastic about programming once they come into contact with it (10). But this has to happen first!
According to experts, there are many reasons why girls are less likely to come into contact with computer science than boys. For young girls, for example, the idea of the stereotypical "nerd" who programs alone with pizza boxes in the basement is not very appealing. The preconception that boys are more interested in technology is also persistent. And the fear of having to face very inflexible working hours contributes to the fact that girls and women are less likely to pursue a career in IT professions. Added to this is the low proportion of women in these courses and professions. None of this is very motivating for many girls.
What can companies do to get more women interested in IT?
Address young female talent early on The Allensbach study mentioned above shows on page 11 that girls in their last three years of school are less than 0.5% likely to want to go into computers or IT (7). So there is still a need for educational work here. This can be carried out by companies, for example by participating in initiatives that specifically target girls.
In Karlsruhe, for example, there is the Science Camp series with different focuses (electrical engineering, computer science, etc.). And for computer science, there is even a special camp for girls: Science Camp Informatik for Girls. There is also the GirlsHäck Day, which was initiated by the ZKM. At a national level, for example, there is Girls Day, which focuses on all STEM subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology).
Adapt the application process When looking for new female employees, it is important to start at the right point in the application process. This means formulating and designing job advertisements in such a way that they do not only appeal to male applicants. This includes: gendering, showing women in pictures and not only demanding male characteristics (such as assertiveness), but also specifically looking for more feminine characteristics such as teamwork and communication skills.
The job title is also an important indicator for women to be able to assess the attractiveness of a job. It may also make sense to emphasize which benefits the company offers for women if women are the target group. A visit to a trade fair is also part of the application process. Here it can be helpful to take women with you as contacts who come directly from software development and not from the HR department. (8)
Ensure work-life balance Some women not only associate IT jobs with a nerdy image, but also fear that the working conditions and working hours in a male-driven domain are not compatible with the needs of young women. Companies with more flexible working and time models should communicate this in order to appeal more to young women. Employers, on the other hand, who are still stuck in the old structures should consider how they can better shape the desire for a healthy work-life balance. From the company's own kindergarten to regulations that allow employees to arrange their working hours flexibly or even bring their children to work, there are no limits to creativity. The easiest way to go about implementing this is probably to first meet the needs of the women who already work in the company. Through them you can find out what is desired.
What can others do to get more women interested in IT?
It is not only companies that can make a positive contribution to women taking an interest in IT jobs (earlier), as there is generally no lack of ability. Each and every one of us can make a contribution. The Allensbach study mentioned above has shown that friends and acquaintances are the top 1 source of information when it comes to choosing a job. In second place is the mother, followed by the Internet as a source of research. (7)
This means that ....
... Women in IT should talk more about their experiences, especially among their friends. This motivates young girls because it shows them that women are very much made for this industry. The Allensbach study also showed that conversations with people who have experience in the profession they are interested in are the most helpful source of information when looking for a job. As there is also a lack of female role models, this is probably a good, albeit laborious, way to go, as it cannot reach many girls at the same time. (7, 10)
... Since studies show that boys have greater confidence in their own abilities than girls, schools can give girls a more positive attitude towards these professions by specifically promoting their technical skills. This means getting them excited about subjects such as math and physics and arousing their curiosity. This can be achieved, for example, by dealing with more real-life issues in the classroom and thus imparting more practical knowledge (9,11).
... the media can also contribute to this. For example, they could not put women in typical role models, but instead, for example, make a series about successful female computer scientists, publish articles in the daily press or report more about successful women in IT on social media channels. (9)
... parents in particular can play their part through their upbringing. Here we can only give the tip to try to step out of the typical male/female roles and maintain continuous contact with technology or at least not withhold it from girls (11).
... Universities could look for more attractive names for their degree programs. This increases the attractiveness of degree programs for women enormously. However, no false promises should be made. On the contrary, they should try to focus on the parts that are already taught and preferred by women, such as communication. Such as communication, for example. In addition, combinations with professional fields that women would very much like to study also make sense, e.g. medical informatics. (10,11)
Positive examples
The KIT, for example, offers various programs for girls (not exclusively for computer science, but for the STEM subjects) to show them practically what these professions can be about. The complete KIT program is available here, albeit only last year's.
Another good example is the "App Camps" platform, which provides teachers with materials that they can use to teach their students about programming (10). And a girls' high school in Stuttgart, for example, has had a partnership with Bosch and the mechanical engineering company Trumpf for years (9). In the projects, technical devices are built on site at the partners' premises in order to illustrate the topics from physics lessons in a practical way.
One project initiated at federal level is Girls' Day, which not only gives women a taste of IT careers, but also covers the whole range of technical professions. Such and similar campaigns can be found at http://www.komm-mach-mint.de/ and are among the many positive examples. Another project that has been initiated at federal level is a computer science training course for educational specialists and teachers, who are given practical ideas for teaching children the importance of computer science at nursery or elementary school.
Tips from our employees for all women in IT
And finally, we have a few tips for all women working in IT: We got these for you from our colleagues during our interviews.
Don't hide your own skills under a bushel and be more self-confident about your abilities. After all, you're not working in a physical profession, you're in a mental sport, there's no difference / no starting advantage.
Give more presentations at conferences and share your knowledge with the outside world. This will show your presence and make you a good role model for other girls and women!
More courage! There is no reason to be shy or to think that you can do less.
Math isn't that hard at university, but you should have analytical skills for a career as a computer scientist.
You will love your job if you somehow let computer science into your life as a hobby to keep you on the ball.
So, dear women, don't underestimate your achievements! Unfortunately, this is a characteristic that we bring with us, but as we mentioned at the beginning: Women were the pioneers in programming, imitate them!
We are giving you the chance and look forward to receiving applications.
