Today is March 8th, also known as International Women’s Day. But what is International Women’s Day exactly, and what do women at eLEAF think about their position in the company as women?
International Women’s Day celebrates the progress made towards gender equality and recognizes the work that still needs to be done. This year’s theme of “Unlimited Livable” asks whether women can participate in society and the workplace without limitation and whether women can help each other live without limitation. As a data company, eLEAF believes aims to create a workplace where women can thrive and contribute their expertise to the fullest. 42% of our staff is women, where the average of the sector is only 18%.
To know if the reality matches the intention of gender equality within the company, we asked our female colleagues about working at eLEAF and in the IT sector as women. A few typical assumptions are that men are naturally more interested in and capable of working in IT, and that men are more likely to receive promotions than women.
Here are some statements our colleagues made:
- Jessica says “As a woman, you experience being a minority, but being an expert in a specific field has earned me interest and respect from my colleagues. The IT sector should accept that women can do the same job as men, and there should be no prejudices when it comes to working with a female expert.”
- Annemarie says “As the first woman to join eLEAF, I am happy to see a well-balanced team in terms of gender that includes people from different nationalities, religions, and age groups. Diversity brings out more diverse knowledge and stimulates creativity and ideas.”
- Antonia says “The technology sector allows you to be as innovative and creative as you want. I love that I can look back at the projects I worked on and say, ‘I did this, this is my work!’ It is a great feeling. It can be challenging sometimes, but I believe this is what makes us better and makes us feel proud of our accomplishments after all.”
- Mechteld says “Before I joined eLEAF 10 years ago, and during the first year here, I would almost always be the only woman at the table in meetings representing eLEAF. I have seen that change over the years and the younger generation has a much healthier gender balance, which is really good to see.“
So, when working as a woman in the IT/tech industry, you may feel the inequality in representation, but it can also be extra special when you accomplish things as a woman in this sector. The IT sector is innovative and a great place to be creative, which makes it a great place to work! Let’s keep moving towards a more inclusive sector.
