To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, we spoke to five successful women working in the Digital and Tech industry to find out what this day truly means to them.
“International Women’s Day is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate women’s contribution to social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As a female leader in the digital & technology sector, it makes me feel proud to have a seat at the table helping to shape and guide a business and be a champion for females in trying to help break the bias, both by supporting others in progressing their career and driving forward initiatives such as combating the gender pay gap.”
“Throughout my career, I’ve always worked within a male-dominated industry. In fact, women only make up 28.8% of the tech workforce, and I find that statistic quite shocking.
Before launching Copy House, I was discriminated against whilst I was pregnant with my daughter, Elizabeth. My employers didn’t believe that I could work just as hard as my male counterparts because I had a young child. This pushed me out of the workforce and forced me to pave my own way and essentially build my own brand.
I have never been more proud of that blessing in disguise. Due to the discrimination I faced and how poorly treated staff were in the agency world, I wanted to change the trajectory of it all. I wanted to create a workspace that gave people the flexibility to live their lives and put their families first. I wanted to create an atmosphere that was diverse, welcoming and most importantly celebrated everyone regardless of gender, race or sexuality.
To be a successful woman in the digital and tech space is more than just eradicating the pay divide between men and women. Although it’s important, it’s also about empowering and uplifting other women to go after their goals and stop at nothing. It’s also about celebrating our differences in the way we tackle our day to day lives. Most importantly, it’s about giving a voice and a helping hand to women who have been silenced through discrimination.”
“International Women’s Day for me is a day to reflect on the success stories of female powerhouses in the Digital & Tech industry. Not only can we look back on all they have achieved and continue to do to make space for other women making their mark but the day gives a sense of hope, knowing there is room for us at the top spurs me on. That is why to me it’s such an important day.”
“As Founder of Launch, we strive for equality 365 days a year. We’re almost exactly a 50-50 male-female split with no gender pay gap, and it’s my job to empower everyone – regardless of who they are – to bring their best selves to work.
The board at Launch is 50-50, but many boardrooms are not as equal, yet. But International Women’s Day to me is about much more than being a female leader in digital. It’s a platform for the issues women face daily to be heard and acknowledged on a global scale. Yes, there’s still progress to be made in tech, but there are other serious oppressions we need to amplify too.”
“For me, international women’s day is a necessary reminder that every woman should be able to dream big and achieve whatever it is that inspires us. It’s a day to elevate and celebrate great stories from women who have all gone down different paths.
Reflecting on the enormous journey we’ve been on, I wanted to bring attention to where we were in the 1980’s. The well intentioned “fix the women” programmes were in place to help women become more confident, networked, and assertive. While these were likely a step in the right direction at the time, they enforced the idea that for women to succeed they needed to become something they weren’t. This resonated with me because for a long time I thought that to be successful I would have to change who I was in some way; be louder, sterner, and overly confident. Through days like this, and by an increasing presence of diverse female leadership, I’m coming to learn that this isn’t true.
Having more female role models in the spotlight is a positive output we’ve seen, but it’s important to remember that as progress is being made in some places, there are many young women who still don’t get the same access and opportunities as others. So, while today is a pinnacle moment in the year, I hope that the efforts and impact we see continue every day and that when we reflect in another 40 years’ time we can once again see how far we’ve come.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to be surrounded by inspirational women, in my family, friends, at work, and the media. We are all different women, finding success in our own unique ways. And that’s a beautiful thing.”