Women Go Digital

On International Women's Day, our IT, IS & Data Privacy Manager Dana Taylor joined a live conference with other Digital women in the Engie group, discussing the place of women in tech.

In case you missed it, here are some of Dana’s thoughts about women in the digital landscape and what can be done to encourage change.

Why Dana decided to participate and inspire women

“Many young people feel the IT field is way out of their range of capabilities, maybe too difficult to get into, comprehend, but this is really not true. There is also an unfounded negative connotation to being a ‘geek’ but I’m here to say that being a geek is okay, it’s cool.

Any women and men who want to belong to the digital community can do so if they want to. In my opinion, gender and any perceived barriers are slowly but surely becoming irrelevant. I would like to inspire women to know and understand that the digital field of work is as accessible to them as to anyone else.”

Steps to take to encourage women

“We need to think about this career as a genderless career. The only way we can encourage people to get into IT is to not see it as a profession that is purely targetted at a certain type of population. For women, it’s important that they give themselves the chance to experience other careers, and to look beyond the ‘norm’ and embrace change.

We need to start early, encouraging our own children to stay away from stereotyping and actively challenge it. To give our children a good example, pointing it out when it happens.

I have a 12-year-old daughter who at present does not know what she is going to do for her career, but she knows that every option is available for her. If the next generation is aware that they are able to pursue a career regardless of what it will be, then we have scored a big point in the evolution of diversity. So we need to understand that skills and talent are what drives the ability to do a job, and we are not defined by our gender.”

Exciting dimensions of the job

“Being a woman in IT, adapting to requirements becomes a continuous exercise, and it stretches my mind and skillset. I love delivering on my commitments and making a positive difference. I go back to empowerment and being able to empower the people I work with and in the wider context to make the right career choices that are going to be beneficial to them.”

The evolution of new tech jobs and the opportunities for women

“There is a big need to have variety, and have women’s skill there on the table. The jobs are there for the taking. It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure to include women in applicants, I think it’s the responsibility of each and every person to ensure that happens on a regular basis. To engage men in gender diversity initiatives, we must be sure to include women in all of the roles we are recruiting for, especially IT.

We can offer apprenticeships that will naturally bring women into the organisation, and then perhaps into IT. Have a realistic path to ensure that there are women going into an organisation.”
 

A motto to close…

“Every problem has one or more solutions. If you think about solutions, you effectively make them possible and by considering your options, you open those possibilities.”

Along with the various initiatives launched to celebrate the rights of women all over the world, the conference celebrated the launch of a group-sponsored book called ‘Women Go Digital’ where a dozen of ENGIE Digital women recount their experience.