Women in tech ... or the lack thereof

By Gabey Goh February 7, 2014

Closing the gender gap

When asked for their opinion on why there were such low levels of women in the industry, Lee (pic) notes that she still doesn’t see many female tech entrepreneurs around.

“Although I don't know if that means there just aren't any, or if it's any issue of visibility.

"There's also the [misconception] that tech is not interesting. I see a lot of articles online about this topic, and sometimes I wonder if this just reinforces the stereotype more than it helps.

"For example, there are more articles on why there are so few women in tech compared with articles that feature, highlight or champion successful women in tech.

“Aside from that, since tech is generally seen as a male-dominated field, women could feel uncomfortable working in an environment or office where there's a 95% male workforce,” Lee adds.

She also notes that there is a severe lack of women role models and mentors in the Malaysian tech community.

Meanwhile, Eliza says that in the technology world, it is important to have the "confidence to be who you are."

“I have many female friends who studied computer science and engineering like me, some at highly notable universities in the world. I noticed many were not able to apply their engineering and software development skills after they graduated, unless they worked overseas,” she says, adding that most jobs available in the Malaysia were administrative, management-related or high-level positions.

Eliza reports that she saw more females in the technology industry 10 years ago compared with the present day, and thinks the number of women are declining. In addition, many females who graduated from computer science and engineering courses tend to shy away from the technology field as they feel it is a man’s world.

“From my observation, the majority of women prefer to work among women. Many women need the support system at work, to socialise and talk about women things. My former techie female colleagues and I do not need such an environment at work. Till today, I do not need to go out and do 'girly things' with female friends during lunch hour.

“If a woman desires to have typical working environment to suit women in particular, she would never survive in the tech world. It is not about what gender you are, it is about how good you are.

"However, I find there is a growing trend of women in the digital marketing arena. This field could be more suitable for women – not too ‘techie,’ yet requiring a bit of technical knowledge,” she adds.

Blind to gender

All three ladies interviewed echoed a common sentiment, that they see themselves as professionals first and foremost, rather than a woman in a man’s world.

Soon confesses that she believes she does not have an intelligent answer to the age-old question of why there are so few women in the technology space. “My take is – a woman is one of God’s most refined inventions, looks great in pants as well, can learn how to understand tech and read code, and be a leader.

“She needn’t always wear heavy makeup, leave the house in a pantyhose, and can lug around her bulky laptop bag everywhere like it’s her ultimate Gucci fashion statement! I am a prime example of this inelegance!” she says.

In her view, women who seek to claim their spot in the industry would not face gender-related challenges if they view themselves from an 'equal opportunity' standpoint. “It has not affected me in any way nor stopped me from exploring the tech startup space,” she adds.

Eliza echoes a similar sentiment, feeling that any woman who manages to operate in the tech startup space would never reach that stage unless she doesn’t view herself as a woman at work; but rather as just another techie, or professional in the field.

“Women in this field whom I know are confident enough to do whatever they want to do, and are not being seen or labelled as women. The challenge I feel is not the men, but fulfilling women’s needs. I find the support system among women at work is important for women in technology.

“Although I feel, in Malaysia, a woman in technology can excel as there are many opportunities at the managerial level, where communications, management and technical skills are important,” she says.

Breaking out

For women seeking to jump into the technology field or even start their own businesses in the space, Eliza points out that they must first be aware of the realities of the field.

“The technology field, especially ICT, requires one to keep learning on his or her own. In my opinion, if you don’t do coding or software development, your engineering skills will go obsolete fast.

"What you learn from the university is very basic. You need to be self-driven, learning new things on your own, in tech world.

“Some women may fear that reality as they may want to choose a simpler path in life. Continuous learning is a personal effort, not a guided one. So, you need to be able to learn fast on your own and learn from making mistakes quickly, and move on. There is nothing personal about not knowing enough,” she adds.

Eliza notes that as it is, there are not many women in the industry with a deep understanding of technology, so building products is not usually a feasible option unless they have business partners who can complement them and fill the technological gaps.

“However, e-commerce and digital marketing can be quite suitable for women. I think many women with basic knowledge in technology can start their own business as long as they have the right team, willing to get their hands dirty and move on fast,” she adds.

When asked what advice she’d give aspiring entrepreneurs, Soon says the first would be to view themselves as equals.

“Don’t give up, and when you see great opportunity in an idea – grab the bull by the horns. If things aren’t looking so great, study the reasons and decide whether to pivot your idea or persevere.

“We’re in a scene where things can change in a matter of a day or a month – so have fun whenever you can because well ... it’s going to change before you know it,” she says.

Despite the continued lack of visibility of women in the startup space, other aspects of a support network geared toward them have developed over time. There are now many choices, support groups and opportunities for women, including Gorgeous Geeks, which offers programmes and focus groups for youth, entrepreneurs and professionals.

There is also the Kuala Lumpur chapter of the Secret {W} Business community, founded to support female entrepreneurs, change-makers and innovators, which Lee is the ambassador for.

In addition, the Female Founder Fellowship (FFF) is now being offered for the Spring 2014 Founder Institute semester in Kuala Lumpur.

The fellowship is awarded to the most extraordinary female applicant for each chapter, giving them the opportunity to enrol in the Founder Institute for free. The recipient will be recognised as a female with the utmost potential to become a successful technology entrepreneur.

The FFF is part of the Founder Institute's on-going effort to see more than 30% female-led companies graduating from the programme.

Tzu Ming Chu, co-director and mentor of the Kuala Lumpur chapter, says when the organisation announced the programme in 2011, about 16% of Founder Institute companies were founded by females.

Since then, the results of this programme have been “astounding,” as the overall number of female-founded companies has increased to a total of 26%. Which is more than twice as high as most other incubators, Chu claims.

“We would like encourage more women entrepreneurs in tech in Malaysia. We feel women in Malaysia make great entrepreneurs and have a great track record in tech entrepreneurship -- Goh Ai Ching from Piktochart and Stephanie Chai from Luxenomad, who have been mentors on the programme, are key examples,” he adds.

In order to be eligible for the FFF for the 2014 Spring Semester, applicants must complete the application and admissions test by the early application deadline by 11:59pm, Saturday Feb 9. For more information, click here.