I am a long time advocate of women realizing that they are freaking legends.

But why is diversity important? Why do we single women out? Why do we try to encourage diversity?

Diversity has been proved to make companies more profitable. More successful. However, it is even more important to have diversity in tech.


Quartz explain the potentially disastrous effects perfectly with a paperclip metaphor –and I would really recommend you take the time to read the full article, however I will share this quote with you.

“If we don’t get women and people of colour at the table - real technologists doing the real work - we will bias systems. Trying to reverse that a decade or two from now will be so much more difficult, if not close to impossible.”

- Melinda Gates

So, if the potential end of the world due to bias algorithms used in AI is not enough to make you take note perhaps this will.

Diversity boosts profits!

A diverse workforce will bring different ideas and new ways of thinking to the table.

I am all for empowering women, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about openly differentiating. I would never want to get anything just because I was a woman.

Especially as I was once told by an employer that I received an award shortlisting "just because I was a woman." When I know for a fact I was a finalist for that award because I am awesome at what I do.

However, we have learnt that women need more encouragement, particularly in male dominated fields like tech. But diversity is tech is not just about bring good ideas to the table.

Businesses with a healthy balance of men and women are 15% more likely to outperform their competitors.*

Businesses with a good mix of ethnic backgrounds are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors.*

The MUTU System team is based in Cornwall but a number of the team are based in the States and Canada. We are an all female team (this is not a conscious decision, but just how the team has evolved). We work flexible hours and are based from home 4 days a week. This allows us to still work on kick ass careers whilst also focusing on being great parents too. We don't have to compromise.

This flexibility is important.

Any employee who has worked for their employer for more than 26 weeks is entitled to request flexible working. However, according to a CBI report referenced in the Guardian - only 1 in 10 jobs vacancies listed mention flexible working. In my experience a company either embraces flexible working fully and makes it part of their culture. Or they shy away from it completely.

It is important to remember your team are real people. With real lives.

To welcome a more diverse workforce, we have to remember that people don’t fit a mold. Working 9-5 in the same location everyday might not be attractive to some, it might not be possible for others. Offering flexible working doesn’t just mean a happier workforce, but it enables you to attract a more diverse team.

Again, let's break it down further into company benefits.

Companies who offer flexible working have seen reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and enhanced employee engagement and loyalty. It also increases the pool of applicants for open positions and will help you retain your team.

I recently ran the first Google Women Techmakers South West event. It was women focused, not women only. Yet comments were made about why was it a women only event when we were promoting it. Over 120 people came - around 5 of them were men.

On the day one of the men there spoke to me and said he was very aware he was in the minority. It actually made him feel uncomfortable - to be so “outnumbered”. I said that is great, think about that feeling and realize that is how women in tech feel every day.

People say, well we advertised the job but only men applied. There must not be any women suitable. But is that enough? Running women techmakers proved to me there are so many women working in tech or wanting to work in tech in the South West who are currently flying under the radar. There were so many people there I didn't know - how many more are out there?

So why are they not applying?

The way you write job adverts can affect the amount of women who apply for a job. A masculine coded phrase is “Superior ability to satisfy customers”. A female coded phrase is “Sensitive to customer's needs - can develop warm customer relationships".

This may be over simplifying something that is quite complex.

When someone talks you will notice distortions, generalizations and deletions in a person's language. When you know the way they talk, you can talk in that way to them which will help you build rapport. But when you don’t know the individual when posting a job ad, so generalizations need to be made.

Another thing to think about is that most women will not apply for a job unless they meet 100% of the criteria, whereas men will typically apply if they meet 60% of them. When writing a job spec take a moment to think -are you requirements all essential?

So what do we need to do?

•Encourage more women into tech.

•Encourage people from all walks of life.

•Encourage people from all backgrounds.

•Be a mentor

•Become a STEM ambassador

There are no quick fixes to diversifying tech - but it is something we need to take seriously. June Sarpong coined a phrase I quite like - Intentional Diversity. That is much better than positive discrimination.

The bottom line is - we need diversity in tech to help make business profitable and to stop the machines killing us all!

Allow flexible working to make your jobs more accessible - this can improve diversity and make companies more profitable.

If you like the sound of flexible working and are looking for a new challenge join MUTU System. We are looking for an ops technician who is organised as hell and loves GIFs - get in touch. And to get involved with Women Techmakers South West, join the Slack group here.