By Corina Tan
CONVERSATIONS about diversity and inclusion are very much in the spotlight today, but dial back to three decades ago and you would be hard pressed to find any.
When it comes to driving meaningful change in terms of improving female representation in the workplace, I believe that tech companies must lead by example in moulding company culture and policy, rather than wait for employee, education or policy to change.
Why diversity matters
A McKinsey study “The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Asia Pacific” shows Malaysia’s average gender parity score for equality in work is 0.51, compared to a global average of 0.61. Female representation also decreases as you look up the corporate ladder – in Asia Pacific, there is only one woman in leadership position for every four men.
But gender should not matter. In fact, there is a strong business case for diversity.
According to another McKinsey report on global trends, better gender balance in organisations actually makes good business sense.
It found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.
Companies with more than 30% women in leadership positions were more likely to outperform companies where this percentage ranged from 10 to 30, and in turn these companies were more likely to outperform those with even fewer women executives, or none at all.
The greater the representation, the higher the likelihood of outperformance.
While there are notable leading Malaysians in Asia’s tech sector including co-founders of Grab and Piktochart – Tan Hooi Ling and Goh Ai Ching respectively – who serve as inspiring role models and are paving the way for future female leaders, the gender gap persists.
The known economic benefits and tech’s potential to drive innovative growth opportunities from both a social and economic standpoint marks this leadership gender imbalance as a clear missed opportunity.
What’s holding women back?
A widely cited reason for the underrepresentation of women in tech is the pipeline problem – suggesting that the pool of female talent with a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, is limited.
There is some truth to this – a PwC study found that women represent only 32% of STEM graduates worldwide.
But the reality is, graduating with a degree in technology isn’t always a prerequisite to join a technology company. In fact, I for one began my work life in the banking sector but soon found that technology is a means to effect change for the better.
The problem started earlier on; a major cause being the stereotypes influencing the career choices of women.
Research from UNESCO shows that the performance of boys and girls in STEM-related subjects begins to shift in their early teens.
Social bias, classroom dynamics, educational material, policies and economic opportunities are some factors driving this behaviour.
Over time, this ultimately produces a performance gap as well as a representation gap when it comes to boys and girls choosing to pursue STEM-related subjects.
Tech companies can make an impact at an early stage by getting involved in programmes that focus on engaging youths, getting girls excited about technology and building interest in STEM at a young age.
A good place to start is by partnering with programmes such as Girls Who Code to drive interest in careers in technology from young.
Such programmes can move the needle, not just for the tech industry, but also for the information technology horizontal, where the percentage of female IT leaders remains at 9%, according to a 2017 KPMG survey.
The gender problem persists the higher we go up the seniority funnel, where women returning to work after taking leave for childcare struggle to reintegrate into the workforce.
A study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that across all industries, women make up more than 50% of university graduates but fewer than 15% of CEO and board-level positions in Southeast Asia.
Gaps in their resume for taking time off work to care for the children and family makes rehiring after a work hiatus a significant challenge, especially in the tech sector which advances at a rapid pace. As a result, they tend to drop out and too often – for good.
But leaders and employees can change this pattern. A new study by LinkedIn which spotlights gender gaps in the workplace suggests that organisations have a role to play in bridging the gender gap and ensuring equitable recovery for all in a post-pandemic economy.
Women and working mothers in Malaysia expect employers to implement policies to help them balance work and family – flexible work schedules top the wishlist with 32% looking to work from home; 30% expect reduced hours; and 27% would like part-time schedule options.
One of Dell Technologies’ initiatives is the Connected Workplace programme, a key component of our company culture as well as efforts to attract and retain world-class talent.
Connected Workplace provides eligible team members with full flexibility when it comes to work options; including work-from-home, part-time work arrangements, variable daily work times and job sharing.
This highly flexible arrangement allows us to hire the most qualified candidate for each role – regardless of their physical location, gender or life situation.
We also have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) – communities within the company in which employees with common interests or backgrounds can come together to connect, learn and develop new skills.
One of our ERGs in Malaysia, Women in Action (WiA), pioneered MentorConnect, an initiative that helps female team members build their networks, develop new skills and insights on areas such as critical business decision making, negotiations, personal branding and other professional skills.
The MentorConnect initiative has now been expanded to other Dell locations in the region including Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).
Gender parity must not be viewed as a zero-sum game where one group wins and the other loses. While the tech industry still has some work to do in regards to gender equality, as the driving force behind transformations across multiple industries and touching every aspect of our lives – it has all the ingredients to get it right.
Tech companies need to recognise that this is a journey, not a sprint. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day couldn’t have said it better: collectively, we can all help create a more inclusive world. By working together, we can #ChooseToChallenge and change Malaysia’s gender parity landscape. – March 13, 2021
Corina Tan is the vice president, Global CSB (Consumer & Small Business) business operations and general manager for SWTC Penang at Dell Technologies
