Tech shapes the way we navigate the world and paves the way for the future. Yet, over 80% of the tech workforce is made up of men, while they only account for half of the population.

Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity* on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile (McKinsey & Company, 2020). Yet, women hold only 31.4% of key management positions in the Information, Media, and Telecommunications industry as of August 2021 (Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2021).

It’s time we design our workplaces and technology in a way that reflects the world around us.

*Please note: When I reference “gender diversity” and “women” throughout this post, I’m referring to diverse/equal representation of people who identify as women within the tech space. I acknowledge that gender sits on a spectrum and we should all strive for greater representation and diversity of all genders.

Lack of women in technology

Consulting in product engineering recruitment, affix customers always ask us a version of the same question: “Where are all of the women software engineers?”

Sure, there’s the obvious pipeline issue, seen through the lack of women receiving an education in tech for a whole host of reasons. But although this is the sad reality in Australia, it shouldn’t be used as a licence to not take meaningful action.

As a Talent Partner at affix, I’m more interested in looking beyond that problem as the sole barrier to building gender diverse software engineering teams. There are always opportunities for us to take action. And there are brilliant, technical women out there. You’ve just got to do things a bit differently if you want to find and hire them…

Since 2015, women’s university enrolment in STEM fields of education has increased by 2% (Australian Dept. of Industry, 2021). However, the gender pay gap in Australia for full-time employees in the Information, Media, and Telecommunications industry is still 19.1% as of August 2021 (Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2021).

A general note on ‘diversity’

While we share our journey with you, it’s important to acknowledge we are taking a narrow and binary view on the term ‘diversity’. Diversity goes beyond gender, and gender goes beyond the binary constructs of man and woman. Cultural diversity, age diversity, neurodiversity, First Nations representation, and so on… these are all ways we must continue to explore inclusion and diversity. It’s an ongoing conversation to understand how we can create tangible changes for underrepresented folks in tech.

Increasing gender diversity at 99designs by Vista

For 18 months in 2020, affix proudly partnered with the humble folks at 99designs by Vista to scale by over 100 new employees. They’re the world’s go-to global creative platform for clients and designers to collaborate and create designs they love, imagining a world without borders and creating the platform of their dreams.

Out of the 103 people we placed across various teams, we helped 35 folks become ‘99ers’ in the 99designs software engineering team. 40% of those software engineers were women, including 3 women in senior leadership roles. 

This didn’t happen by accident, rather by design.

We undertook a deliberate diversity recruitment strategy, with a heck of a lot of effort, heart, vulnerability, curiosity and creativity. 99designs also had an incredible foundation from which we built on that included:

• Vocal support from senior leadership, most notably the Director of Engineering
• Existing inclusive workplace and hiring practices
• Stories about lived experiences from 99ers who experienced the inclusion and belonging day-to-day
• Trust in their recruitment partner

67% of women will explore employers who they feel have positive role models similar to them. (PwC) And for 99designs, we knew highlighting the amazing people and culture that already existed would be key to a successful recruitment campaign.

To learn more about exactly how we helped 99designs scale by 100+ people over 18 months, please check out our case study.

Recommendations to increase representation of women in tech

I’m sharing our learnings and advice with you in the hope that it might inform your own strategies… or simply give you hope that progress is possible! We are not experts. We sure aren’t perfect either. We are simply people who care deeply about equity, and we aren’t afraid to try something new.

At affix, we’ve learned a few key things about attracting women to tech roles which I’ve outlined below:

Embrace the learning curve

We’re not diversity experts, but we’re committed to making a difference. We’ve learned to navigate tricky conversations and adapt our approach as we gain new insights.

Try this: Don’t shy away from difficult conversations. Be open to feedback and willing to change your approach as you learn.

Invest time in research and talent mapping

We dedicated significant time to researching and approaching potential candidates. This proactive approach was crucial to our success.

Try this: Change your mindset when it comes to talent mapping. Look beyond the “right” mix of skills and experience and consider candidates with diverse backgrounds.

Break down “requirements”

We worked to keep our list of role requirements as short as possible, focusing on what’s truly essential for success in the role.

Try this: Question whether each requirement is essential or just a ‘nice-to-have’. If it can be learned on the job, it doesn’t need to be a requirement.

Use inclusive language and communications

We used inclusive language in our communications to create a sense of belonging and inclusion. Gender neutral language appeals to everyone, whereas “tech bro talk” only speaks to a specific group.

Try this: Use tools like Textio and Applied to help craft more inclusive content.

Continually push boundaries

We expanded our search beyond Melbourne and considered candidates with any web development background.

Try this: After breaking down the ‘must-have’ requirements, discuss how you might expand your search. Consider remote candidates and those with different tech backgrounds.

Final thoughts

Women make up around half of the entire population, yet they only make up 17% of tech roles in Australia. That’s why the way I see it, increasing the number of women in software engineering teams is sure as hell worthy of celebration.

Reflecting the diversity of the real world in our teams and creating greater gender balance and diversity is something which we should all strive for, and be truly proud of. Progress on gender diversity matters to us, and it should matter to you too.