Supporting the women among us

Viewpoint

The theme for 2023 International Women’s Day is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’. It seemed fitting for us as a design transformation consultancy to take a beat to reflect on the resources and events that support the women among us to further our skills in digital and tech.

There are initiatives in the UK striving to provide girls with access to STEM education and career support. But women only make up a quarter of those working in digital and tech in the country. And the latest gender pay gap report shows that in the UK tech industry women are still paid 16% less than men.

Industry events provide an important opportunity to join up with women in their diversity. I recently attended an insightful all-day event hosted by the Brighton chapter of SheSays as part of the Spring Forward festival. This event was curated and hosted by the Brighton chapter lead, Rifa Thorpe-Tracey. SheSays are a global movement with the mission of providing free events and mentoring where female and non-binary voices are heard and championed in leadership.

SheSays International Women’s Day 2023

Speaker on stage in front of a SheSays branded screen

Friday’s event featured talks from speakers such as Nancy Maher, founder of a consultancy called Kinkajou who spoke about self-promoting and developing a sense of belonging in a male-dominated field. Myra Appannah, co-founder of BRiGHTBLACK, spoke about new power movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, and the democratisation of storytelling.

Natasha Hampshire spoke on the importance of mentoring to facilitate your next career step and Reshma Sapre gave a tangible and impassioned guide to public speaking, presenting and owning the room.

Alice Reeves led an insightful panel discussion on neurodiversity, with an important takeaway for leaders to create a workplace environment where it is ok to be different.

Four panelists in a line on the stage mid-conversation in front o f a screen

This SheSays event was just one example from a community that is championing women’s voices in tech and digital.

The Clearleft team also recommend checking out your local Ladies that UX chapter for everything research and design. Codebar is a global community empowering minorities in the industry (including women) to break into tech. If you are a woman looking to learn coding, you can also check out SheCodes or Code First: Girls for resources and free coding classes.

Looking for more women or gender non-binary speakers for your next design event? Why not visit Women Talk Design for advice and contacts. They also offer training and support for new speakers.