NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Not surprisingly, in the male-dominated world of information technology, there is plenty of room—and demand—for women to play a far greater role, according to two people.
Speaking to the inaugural EDGE Conference sponsored by Trellance, Filene and Credit Union Data Exchange (CUDX), and offering guidance on how that gender gap in tech can be narrowed, were Susan Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Stankovic & Associates, and Asha Connors, chief services officer at Trellance. Mitchell is also the cofounder of the Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN), which has grown to have Sister Societies on six continents.
Here' what the two had to say during the meeting:
‘Not Something You See’
“Women in technology not something you see all the time,” said Connors. “I’ve been in technology for 25 years and it is a field where there is room for a lot more women.”
For those not familiar with it, Mitchell shared the story of the creation of the Global Women’s Leadership Network, which she said in her case involved being in the right place at the right time. The organization was founded in 2009 when there were strong discussions about the need to have a support system and network for women that would also share the opportunity to learn from each other.
“When you think about what you need to do to execute, you have to have a person then you have to have resilience, and I had the opportunity to interview (former CUES President) John Pembroke, and he said to me ‘There will be people that love you and there will be people that hate you.’ You just have to push on.”
‘Maybe They Are Afraid’
A native of India, Connors shared how she came to work in tech by first being tapped to build a database after she volunteered for the job.
“When I first arrived here I saw how much opportunity there was and how challenging and how rewarding it was, so I don't think it's really very hard for people to actually enter this field,” Connors said. “Maybe they are afraid or worried they are not going to be supported. I think you have to take that step make yourself a part of it. You have to ask for a seat at the table and when you get that seat at the table, you have to speak up.”
Mitchell noted that won aspect of GWLN is “He for She,” which is about building allies for women. She also said credit unions shouldn’t spend too much time patting themselves on the back for having more women in management than banks, as most of those women are at smaller CUs that pay less.
Lessons in STEM
Connors agreed, and turned the conversation to STEM careers as an example. She said about 25% of U.S. workers are employed in a science, technology, engineering or math-related job, and of those 35% are women.
“So you need to find those male allies to support you on this journey. You need people to recognize there is opportunity, there is a need for women to be at the table,” she said. “When you talk about wanting to make strides in closing the gender gap or pay gap, first, you have to be in it to win it. We have to make sre we bring women into the workforce, maybe create opportunities for lateral moves from other departments.”
Not ‘Victims’
When Connors asked Mitchell about pay equity and diversity targets and what women can do to ensure equal pay with men in similar positions, Mitchell answered, “Sometimes, with the pay gap, it comes across that we’re victims. I look at it from the standpoint that yes, it’s real. Then what are we doing to be accountable to make that leap? We have a lot of women in HR and marketing at the senior level in credit unions. We’ve told women to go learn about finance. Don’t stay in the same disciplines. Now I’m saying, and this is critical, we are in an AI revolution. We all in this room at all levels need to be looking at our technology IQ. Take some classes Who is setting the value systems to be used going forward, and who better than diverse group of people?”
Sustaining the Movement
Mitchell, who says she finds data to be fascinating, also urged a recognition of the need for ROI related to that data.
“We want to sustain the movement; it’s not just about the moment,” she said. “Be relevant. Let’s get stats around our social impact. There is ROI when you do the right thing. Think about the ROI around all of the work you are doing that is good.
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