How to Support Women in Technology — And Fuel Your Business, Recruitment and Culture
By Shanti Kurupati, Director of Engineering, YML
One weekend morning I was eating a lovely breakfast with close friends who recently had a baby. I remember one of the women’s husbands saying that his wife ‘had no interest in going back to work’ and was looking at extending maternity leave.
While he meant no harm in saying that, he couldn’t read her mind.
Having gone through this journey as a mother of two beautiful daughters myself, I was able to see this situation from a different angle. While she has all the intentions to go back and perform, she is naturally worried about leaving behind her six-month old child and will not contribute 100% while she is at work with this feeling of guilt.
My friend is not alone: The number of women dropping out of the workforce post-maternity — especially in technology — is staggering.
In fact, 1 in 4 women are now considering leaving the workplace or downshifting their careers, according to the 2020 Women in the Workplace study released by McKinsey & Co. That’s as many as two million women in America alone.
As a woman in the technology industry for 15+ years who has been through this twice, I know how it feels not to have support from your company. But I’ve also seen the steady, positive changes over time happening at bigger companies like Facebook and Visa to better support women.
As a Director of Engineering at YML, a place where I feel empowered, I am fortunate to be able to help more women in technology support their family while still managing their career aspirations and reaching leadership positions, too.
How can more companies take part in this initiative?
Determining potential causes
To fix it, we must understand it. Women in technology do not feel consistently supported in ways that will help retain them and grow their careers. While extended maternity leave is one option that many countries and companies are beginning to explore, it doesn’t necessarily solve the bigger problem at hand (more to come on that later).
First, let’s examine some of the underlying contributing factors:
Societal
While we have been making strides for the better, there is still a definition being set by society through rules and upbringing that differs for men and women. Globally, there is more work to be done around normalizing (and respecting) working women who have children, and simultaneously trusting in both their ability and desire to make an impact.
Cost
The ever-increasing cost of living makes it nearly a necessity for both wife and husband to work to have a decent lifestyle. This, paired with the duties and responsibilities of being a mother, results in many women changing careers or leaving technology altogether after having children to manage it all.
Age
The average age a woman gets married has shifted from early twenties to late twenties and even thirties, which naturally shifts the average age of pregnancy as well. Women who are pregnant in their twenties typically have less complications and can recover faster compared to pregnant women in their early to late thirties. Because of this, many women must take extra precautions to avoid any stress or a job that’s too demanding.
Corporate
Different companies have different policies, but taking time off inherently makes it that much more difficult to eventually move up. After maternity leave — typically anywhere between two and five months — a woman’s path to upward growth is often set back, and recovering the lost ground can seem impossible in a changing industry like technology.
Current solutions being offered by the industry
Recently, the Indian government extended the maternity break from 12 to 26 weeks, which is a great relief. In addition, large companies are supporting added maternity leaves and more flexibility. While this is a start, it is not the solution.
For example, say one’s maternity leave is extended from 26 to 50 weeks. From a company standpoint, they cannot keep this position idle and need someone to fill the role. On the personal front, the longer the break, the harder it is to stay competent and feel confident returning to work. And when the mother does come back to work, her infant is still only a year old. Rather than a singular solution of extended leave, companies must look at this from a different angle to offer women a comprehensive support system.
Ways a company can empower working mothers
As someone who has experienced this, I’d like to offer the following ideas for technology companies to continue encouraging more women to come back to work — and feel excited about it.
Start from talent acquisition
Embed inclusion for women into the hiring process from the very beginning. We do this at YML, considering and encouraging women to apply even while they are on maternity leave, and prioritizing a diverse panel during the interview process.
As a result, we’ve been able to attract some of the top talent and employees across all of our offices. In our Bengaluru office alone, 35 of our 85 new hires between April 2020 and March 2021 were women.
This isn’t just about hitting a certain number or percentage, it’s about finding the best candidates and ensuring equal opportunity for all. Representation matters, and a company must be able to show that they value women’s perspectives — in recruitment and beyond.
Flexible working hours
Prior to the Covid pandemic, many companies had very strict rules about working from home in fear of decreased productivity. Now, having fully transitioned to remote work, the precedent has been set for more flexible working hours and environments.
While this is becoming a new normal, working from home adds other demands that parents can’t ignore. Offering flexible working hours must go beyond simply allowing work to be done outside of the office.
Melati Belot, YML’s Director of Client Strategy in Atlanta, has a vision: “When launching a product or new innovation there’s careful consideration, planning, and coverage, and a team all rallied together to make a product’s potential reality. Supporting new (or frankly any) parents in technology should require no less. What if we treated an impending birth or adoption with the same rigor, excitement and community support we gave launches? Interestingly — and perhaps just because building products is part of YML’s DNA — that’s exactly the approach they took.”
To learn more about YML and how we’re working to uplift women in technology, or to apply for one of our open roles, check out our careers page.
Continued education and learning
Another way companies can help women feel more confident returning from maternity leave is by providing opportunities for continued training and industry education. Keeping them on top of the trends happening in technology can help mitigate some of the insecurities and apprehension felt when it’s time to return to work.
“During my maternity period, the team was so caring and supportive and the transition before I went on maternity break was smooth,” shared Thejaswini Krishna, a Project Manager on YML’s Bengaluru team, who is also the first PM in India. “I was given flexibility to join back whenever I felt comfortable. YML identified the passion and potential in me towards project management and gave me the opportunity to be the first-ever woman Project Manager on the YML Bengaluru team.”
Elevating women in leadership
No one understands what it’s like to be a woman in technology like other women in technology. Over the last four years, female leadership at YML has increased from 5% to 30%. By continuing to uplift women to leadership roles, other women who work at the company can feel more supported and empowered to grow, too.
Not only that, but the business wins too. The University of California-Davis reported that the top 25 California companies with the highest percentage of women executives and board members saw a 74 percent higher return on assets and equity than the broader set of companies surveyed. This included companies such as William-Sonoma, Yahoo!, and Wells Fargo.
For YML, the last two years have been its best back-to-back years of business and team growth. In 2020 specifically, YML had 71 promotions across the team — and 43% of those were women.
“Mothers in leadership at YML were an empathetic source of comfort and confidence for me that I will always appreciate,” shared Caroline Schneider, YML’s Associate Creative Director — who successfully mentors and guides the career development of various female designers in Atlanta. “YML embraces and uplifts new mothers. I felt supported in my pregnancy, celebrated after giving birth, and valued upon my return.”
Promoting diverse leadership for continued success
Studies have shown that more diverse leadership is a driver for success. Gender diversity can help impact a company’s bottom line, and ultimately may attract more investors. In addition, companies who prioritize promoting women to leadership positions signal an attractive working environment for recruitment — especially to top female candidates. A recent survey found that 61% of women look at the gender diversity of the employer’s leadership team when deciding where to work.
By continuing to champion and support women in leadership roles, companies make way for more innovative thinking and creative ideas at the highest levels. This work goes beyond simply offering extended maternity leave to those who choose to raise a family — it’s about recruiting, retaining and empowering women every step of the way.
In short — women are good for driving business, brand and culture.
To learn more about YML and how we’re working to uplift women in technology, or to apply for one of our open roles, check out our careers page.
