Dr. Andrea C. Johnson is the Chief Information Officer at Pipedrive, where she leverages her extensive expertise in enterprise applications and integrations to drive the company’s digital transformation and accelerate its ambitious global growth strategy.
A dedicated advocate for women in STEM, Andrea has served as Chairperson and Executive Board Member of Women in Technology and Science Ireland (WITS). She is also an ambassador for the Women’s Refugee Movement and actively contributes to several national advisory boards, championing diversity, inclusion, and innovation in technology.
Big challenges exist in the UK tech scene.
Women earn up to 28% less than their male colleagues in the same tech roles with only 14% of businesses having a median pay gap for women. This is more pronounced in smaller businesses, at 19-20%. And, at 15 of the 20 highest-funded tech companies in the UK, the gender pay gap exceeds the national average. In some instances, the disparity is significantly larger.
Equality in the workplace is being impeded further by the emerging trend of businesses cutting DEI budgets. This is damaging in the long-term because promoting equal opportunity in STEM is not just morally right, it helps drive innovation with diverse viewpoints finding better solutions. Through diversity, leaders can enhance global competitiveness and build resilience and adaptability in the face of economic headwinds.
Businesses and governments need to collaborate to democratise STEM in a purposeful and effective manner if they are to influence major challenges like low UK national productivity by creating world-beating innovative products and services.
Start young, start early, keep going
Investment in the future starts with education for the young. Anything that encourages diverse talent to see a path through higher education and into STEM employment is a great move for personal development, employment, and society. The motto I live by here is: “You can’t be it if you can’t see it”. This is why mentorship and purposefully engaging young women into STEM careers is so important.
Studies show that one of the key resources for employers to encourage more women into STEM roles is diversity-focused career fairs and events. These initiatives are essential for reframing our thinking and attracting more girls into STEM, as they provide visibility and tangible role models.
Professionals know that this is cognitively challenging and must involve the community to sense-check. Inclusivity should be a natural part of teaching and business culture as part of an environment that features concern for well-being and improvement—alongside the development of leadership skills for all who wish to take on management roles.
However, companies are reporting declines in career development, mentorship, and sponsorship programs geared toward women, as well as recruiting and internship programmes focused on women. Relatively few organisations track the outcomes of these programs and even fewer invest in initiatives specifically designed to advance women of colour. To address this gap, it’s critical for businesses to renew their commitment to these programs and track their impact.
In industry, if employees don’t see commonality in the business, it’s worth providing or finding mentoring and networking opportunities so that up-coming staff have the opportunity to become great, and quality staff are constructively challenged and retained.
And, for those within STEM, there are other skills that can support creating an even greater impact within the profession and as an ambassador. These include leadership, coaching, delegation, diversity and inclusion, time management, and communication. It can also include evangelism or brand ambassadorship, publishing, and activism.
Make it a priority
Bemoaning the state of the industry doesn’t get us far in making a positive change. Every person impacted by unequal wages should, if they can, raise their voice productively. This is not just for their own betterment: we are stronger together, and system-wide change depends on a plurality of voices acting together.
Those with responsibilities whether as founders, CEOs/MDs, within HR, or even departmental team leaders, can commit to ensuring that their success is linked to diversity. As outlined by McKinsey, companies with diverse teams are intrinsically set up for success through increased opportunities for better financial performance. There are wider positive impacts on work ethic and satisfaction, with diversity funnelling towards a greater ability to work as teams more creatively, more life experiences equating to greater collective wisdom, and wider pooled knowledge of issues, concepts, and strategies to overcome difficulties.
To build towards a more diverse workforce, concrete actions over mere gestures and hollow promises can make all the difference. On this topic I have a personal connection, supporting the creation of a comprehensive resource to map STEM initiatives, serving as a guide for businesses and schools to connect with the right opportunities. Such initiatives help the curious and ensure that inquiries land in the right place, fostering engagement and growth at every level.
It is also a strong step to develop accountability around D&I, publishing goals for diversity, or joining industry associations to advance the collective cause. As the management saying goes: “what gets measured gets improved”. What gets committed to is also much more likely to happen than that which is merely hoped for. STEM has to be accessed by all to fulfil its promise to deliver for all, this has become even more apparent as we step into the AI world.
Find your starting point
For clarity, the glass ceiling mentioned in the headline of this article isn’t merely referring to the traditional one that women in the workforce have faced. It’s one that all minorities often find they hit their heads on, metaphorically.
Given the findings from McKinsey and others that there’s a powerful black-and-white financial benefit to diversifying teams and industries and drawing on the talents and experiences of a range of stakeholders and employees, there are only a couple of questions to ask of an organisation: ‘When to start?’, if they haven’t. And, ‘How can we improve more?’ This is if they have began already to demolish any glass ceilings still restricting careers in their workplaces.
Everyone grows taller together in the open air, once barriers are removed. Everyone shares in shared success, and I am a great believer that gender equality lifts everyone.
