Sex Discrimination Act anniversary: What is Romania getting right when it comes to diverse tech talent?
I cannot help but think there is a lot we can learn from Eastern Europe when it comes to producing female talent for our technology industry.
Today is the 40th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act being passed in the UK and in most industries, progress has been achieved. Not least there are more women on FTSE 350 boards than ever before.
Yet when it comes to women in technology, progress remains slow. Recent figures from the WISE Campaign show just 14 per cent of women make up our Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce.
While girls outperform boys in the majority of STEM categories at GCSE level, the number of girls selecting STEM A-levels and subsequent STEM university courses declines dramatically.
UK industries are missing out on a lot of smart women, and I am seeing this first-hand.
At Bloomberg, we are many things, but at our core we are a large technology firm. In London alone, we have a buzzing community of more than 550 software developers working in our research and development team. They are behind some of the most significant products and services that power financial markets around the world.
Read more: Addressing the gender imbalance in tech has to start earlier
But to build the industry-leading products of tomorrow, we recognise the importance of having diverse teams.
This is not just a nod to equality; business and our economy depends on it. In my 15 years in the industry, I have seen how teams which approach problems from different angles and with diverse perspectives, produce better products to help us achieve our business goals.
However, when it comes to finding female technical talent we face similar challenges to the rest of the industry here in the UK.
Interestingly, we’re finding that a number of Eastern European countries, including Romania, are producing top-caliber graduates for our software development teams here in London. These universities often have a balanced population of both male and female students who are graduating with STEM degrees.
So what are they doing that we are not?
Culturally, STEM subjects are not considered a “boy’s subject” in Eastern Europe, and a lot of this comes down to understanding the opportunities of STEM careers by parents and schools. We clearly need, as a country, to change the messages we give girls about STEM at school and at home, and identify more positive role models.
Read more: Fewer than one in five Silicon Roundabout tech companies are led by women
We need to inspire more girls to choose STEM qualifications as a route into fulfilling careers that benefit themselves, future employers and our economy.
But to be successful, this must be backed by strong public policy. We need to educate our teachers about unconscious bias, we need to provide a better understanding of STEM career paths, STEM work environments and the creative and world-changing opportunities that exist in technology and other STEM fields.
I would like to see the government to provide a clear commitment to accelerate diversity in our STEM industries.
We cannot afford to wait another 40 years.
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