The month of March comes as a powerful reminder of the importance of celebrating women’s journeys and reflecting on the challenges that still persist – especially in the technology sector, where female representation has historically been limited. Despite significant growth – according to data from the General Registry of Employed and Unemployed Workers (CAGED), female participation in technology grew by 60% between 2015 and 2022 – women still represent only 12.3% of professionals, while men make up around 83.3% of the market. Given this context,Beyondsoft, global IT consultancy, and theSenac-RJ, in the voice of their Human Resources and IT leaders, emphasize and discuss the female presence in the technology market.
According toAlexandra Visconti, HR Manager for Brazil and Costa RicaandBeyondsoft, the numbers show not only the path taken so far, but also the distance that still needs to be covered to achieve true equality of opportunities. The manager guarantees that, regardless of gender, benefits and salaries are equal rights for all company employees. “Gender is not an issue when working in the IT area and over the years, I have had the opportunity to hire equally capable men and women. More and more women are interested in this profession, which guarantees fabulous diversity for the company. In Costa Rica, we also hire many women with a technical profile. The more candidates appear, the greater the opportunity to hire. Everyone wins.”
Among the challenges faced by women in the IT market, the lack of female leaders is a significant obstacle. According to the Women in Technology survey by consulting firm Michael Page (2021), throughout Latin America, less than 30% of leadership positions in this sector are held by women.Betsy Ferreira, Head of Technology at Senac-RJand a professional with 40 years of experience in the sector, ponders this question through her own career. “After six years of a history of rapid evolution in the software company where I started working, already occupying a senior position in the technical area, I went in search of a new professional chapter in a large company. There, I was able to overcome what was perhaps the greatest challenge in my professional history: achieving the position of executive manager in a company that until then had never had women in this type of position. I had the privilege of being the first, but to do so, I had to go through a process that none of the other executive managers had gone through. I remained as an interim for almost two years and, only after a thorough evaluation, was I finally officially appointed to the position.”
In contrast to the challenges posed, the expansion of female leadership has proven to be a competitive differentiator: according to the reportDiversity Matters Even More, released by McKinsey at the end of 2023, companies with greater female representation on their executive teams are 39% more likely to perform better financially than their less diverse competitors. “Technology is a field that values adaptability and problem-solving, and when women are included and valued in the sector, they bring with them a variety of skills and knowledge that enrich the work environment and drive technological progress. That is why diversity in teams is such a positive differentiator,” says Alexandra.
For Betsy, the old profile of the authoritarian hierarchical leader has been largely subverted by facilitative leaders who inspire, develop and care for their teams – a new profile that women, when facing and overcoming significant challenges in the professional sphere, are able to develop with precision. “The presence of women in management positions brings more humane and engaging practices to the corporate environment. Such practices tend to accelerate the pace of innovation in the environment in which they are inserted. Women work collaboratively naturally and are able to build bonds and connections that increase the creative power and productivity of their teams”, comments the expert.
Among the celebrations and reflections sparked by International Women's Day, both professionals extend an invitation to women who would like to work in technology but are unfamiliar with the field or face barriers to accessing it. Alexandra emphasizes the existence of many programs to encourage the training and insertion of women in the IT market, where volunteers and experienced professionals work to offer mentoring and workshops. Betsy advises women of all ages to seek connections and support, invest in their training and move forward without fear of challenges. With the diversification of the technology market, everyone wins, and this is a statement that should not be limited to the month of March.
