International Women's Day Interviews

‍

Q) What does International Women's day mean to you?

A) For me, International Women's day is a chance to celebrate women's achievements through the intersectional bias experienced. It's a time for women to come together and remember what we're fighting for. It's a day of recognition, and remembrance. These issues aren't only relevant for the one day, but it gives a platform for a focused rally.

Q) What do you regard as the greatest challenge for women?

A) I think it's important to recognise that my challenges will be completely different to another's, bias is so intersectional that it's almost impossible to define one challenge. Issues vary from violence and sexual abuse, through to gender pay gaps, career growth and queer rights. To summarise, the challenge is all around being treated equally, and working towards that goal.

Q) What can others do to support women?

A) Everyone should celebrate women's successes, but its so important to be a woman who lifts other women up. I love a culture of encouragement and mentorship. If you see another woman facing any of the issues mentioned, be a friend.

‍

‍

Q) What does International Women's Day mean to you?

A) International Women’s day to me feels like a day of remembrance. A day where I take a moment to recognise how far women have come on our journey towards equality but also recognise how much further we have to go. But as celebratory as the day is, I think its also a day that highlights the discrepancy between women’s rights in the west and those in other countries - as we look to celebrate all we have achieved, it’s hard not to think about how women in other countries are still fighting for their basic rights.

Q) What it's like being a woman in tech?

A) Really exciting and such a positive experience so far! I’m fairly new to the tech industry and thought being a woman in tech would be a lonely journey but it’s been the opposite. I know that in the last couple of years, there’s been a huge push to get more women into tech (particularly coding roles) with social enterprises like CodeFirstGirls leading the way. So I’ve been lucky enough to meet women who have carved out successful career paths for themselves and are incredibly willing to take the time out to offer both advice and support. I do think the visibility of these women needs improving though - unless you’re actively searching for women who work in tech, I don’t think there’s much exposure which is a big reason why women are reluctant to join the industry.

Q) What do you regard as the greatest challenge for women in tech?

A) Having to navigate toxic work cultures - surveys show that when asked what puts women in tech off taking a role, a toxic culture was the most common answer (36%) with 66% of women being confident they can spot a toxic work environment during the application process. It’s the responsibility of leadership and middle management to create healthy working environments that support women and encourage them to both apply and stay in tech roles.

Q) What can others do to support women?

A) In order to support women, you first need to stop underestimating them. Then you need to make sure they feel heard, their accomplishments are celebrated and encourage them to go for exciting yet daunting opportunities.

‍