Challenging stereotypes about women in the technology sector
An interviewed with Teba Rojo and Marta Ruiz, both Team Lead Engineering.
Teba is from Madrid and she studied computer engineering: In high school I wanted to study architecture, I liked it! But I knew that I wasn’t going to get the grade I wanted because of my marks from the previous year and so, I had to think about a second option, because there was a good chance that I wouldn’t get into architecture.
In the last year of the institute, they sometimes took us on half days to show us the options that were available to us. And I remember a lecture they gave us on computer science, where the lecturer said, “In Spain in the next 10 years we will need 10,000 software developers.”
That’s when I considered a career in IT. And so, I couldn’t start to study architecture for 4 decimals, but instead I started computer engineering. Studying this career wasn’t always easy for me, but I didn’t want to give up. At some point I decided to give it a good go because I liked it despite of the difficulty.
What are the biggest challenges as a woman in the tech area?
In my previous job, there were only two women. In addition, the company culture was more old-fashioned, which did not help. So, it was harder for me to find my place. Yet I came from Tuenti, which at that time was considered one of the best places in Spain in the tech sector. But I had a colleague who didn’t think much of me. I sometimes felt that in meetings my ideas were not always heard, whereas when a male colleague repeated what I had been saying for 20 minutes, he was listened to.
When I came to XING, I sometimes felt that I had to prove myself in order to be valued, until people realised I knew what I was saying.
Do you think that this feeling was caused by others or that you put pressure on yourself about it?
Maybe both. I think we’re used to it as women, and we know the scenario. So, we have an almost natural reflex to have to prove ourselves and be over-prepared to show what we’re worth and make a place for ourselves.
What are your personal goals from the female executive learning journey participants?
For me, it is about getting to know myself better and learning to identify and present my strengths. I would like to be able to use these strengths to the benefit of my team.
The fact that our people manager does this with us can have a big impact. For example, my people manager, of the five people he leads, three are women. So, I think it can have a lot of impact in terms of understanding each other better and adapting the dynamics to that diversity so that the teams come out on top.
What other initiatives do you think would promote greater diversity?
I think we could do something about recruitment. It would be interesting to write attractive offers for women. Studies show that women will not apply if they don’t meet all of the requirements, whereas men will not hesitate. I think that the way in which jobs are written can play an important role in achieving this equality.
It is also very important that the company listens to women and is aware of the barriers so that it can react to any abuse. We need to ensure that we make the workplace a safe and equal environment.
It is also important to cover a good representation of the company especially from a promotional point of view.
What message would you like to give to young girls as they make their choice of study?
I would tell them to study what they want. Personally, I haven’t had any problems with that because it depends on the parents and the education of each one, but I think the important thing is to do what you like, and to find meaning in what you do. Study what they want and, in the way they want. There are many opportunities today and they must be used. They should not be afraid to explore, or to wait for permission.
Marta was born in a small village in the north of Spain and she moved to Valencia for her studies on technical engineering in computer systems:
My parents had a company, and their office was downstairs from my house. When I was little, I used to play with the computers in the office and break them. That’s what introduced me to technology and it was clear to me that I wanted to pursue this vocation.
When I started my studies, I didn’t even know what programming was. I discovered it during my studies, and I loved it.
What are the biggest challenges as a woman in your profession?
I am my own worst enemy. I know I put a lot of pressure on myself to do things perfectly so that no one can judge me for being a woman in the tech sector.
Do you think that this feeling was caused by others or that you put pressure on yourself about it?
I don’t think I’ve been judged that much. I was just always one step ahead so that it couldn’t happen and nobody could tell me. But in the end, it was also up to me to let go of that pressure and their looks, it’s a big challenge.
What are your personal goals from the female executive learning journey participants?
To give me the resources to be able to reach new opportunities. I think the important thing is to give the posts to worthwhile people, regardless of their gender. However, what is important is that women are worthwhile and that they have the same opportunities as men to access these opportunities.
What other initiatives do you think would promote greater diversity?
In my opinion, a very important point to ensure diversity is the way the company reacts in case of problems. As a woman, I have seen some macho situations, which is inevitable in a big environment. However, I have always been convinced by New Work’s way of dealing with these problems and reacting in a quickly and efficiently way.
I am also very happy that we have a person in Barcelona who is responsible for communicating this theme of diversity and setting up concrete initiatives and actions to implement this diversity.
In my opinion, we should extend this concept to the whole company. These profiles should be implemented on a more global scale to have some consistency within the company for more unity and maximum impact.
What message would you like to give to young girls as they make their choice of study?
The message I would give them is that there are no studies for boys and others for girls. The important thing is to be able to try before you can decide to find out what you like and not lose an opportunity. I think there are a lot of benefits that women can bring to the sector and it’s a shame to lose that because of the mistaken belief that tech is a male sector.
