Gender bias is closely linked to gender equality, which advocates that all people, regardless of gender, are equal and should have equal opportunities, rights, and fair treatment from others.<\/p>\n
However, gender equality<\/b> does not automatically mean that we are all the same or capable of the same things. It highlights that the two genders are different, and based on these differences, approaches should be adjusted to ensure fairness and prevent favouritism towards one side. Moreover, it is part of human rights<\/b> \u2013 ensuring dignified and fair treatment for all, regardless of gender.<\/p>\n
Both of these topics are important in the IT sector and must not be ignored. They significantly influence the development of new technologies, their efficiency, and the direction this field will take. Therefore, it is crucial to discuss them and propose solutions that promote balance and ensure women have the same opportunities as men in the IT world.<\/p>\n
Why do we need more women in IT?<\/h2>\n
There are several reasons why the representation of women in the IT sector should increase. The main ones include:<\/p>\n
Reducing gender bias in technologies<\/h3>\n
Many cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are improved and trained using vast amounts of data. However, this data may contain biases, leading to technologies becoming prejudiced.<\/p>\n
Bias in technologies, especially artificial intelligence, is highly undesirable. If AI is used, for example, in employee recruitment, it may favour men over women based on the data it has been trained on.<\/p>\n
One solution to combat this problem is to increase the number of women in IT, who can bring fresh perspectives and more easily identify hidden biases.<\/p>\n
Diversity of perspectives<\/h3>\n
A new and slightly different perspective on a problem, situation, or task was hinted at in the previous point.<\/p>\n
Women can bring fresh and innovative ideas, different ways of thinking, and alternative approaches to male-dominated teams, which can help solve even complex challenges. They also notice details that others working on a project for days or weeks might overlook. This can strengthen the team and contribute to achieving better results.<\/p>\n
Breaking gender stereotypes<\/h3>\n
The IT sector has long been considered a space primarily for men. This is also why only a very small percentage of women work in this field today \u2013 according to the portal Womentech.net<\/a>, in the USA, only 3.7 million women work in IT, representing approximately 23%.<\/p>\n However, the truth is that the IT sector is not just for men \u2013 quite the opposite. Women can also be developers, testers, or UX\/UI designers and excel in these roles. Greater representation of women in IT is therefore not only inspiring but also helps dismantle deep-rooted stereotypes that many still believe.<\/p>\n How to write a developer CV + IT CV templates<\/span><\/p> Work teams composed of men and women with diverse experiences generate much more creative and high-quality ideas than teams consisting solely of men with the same or similar education, work experience, and perspectives.<\/p>\n An all-male team will struggle to create an app, website, or other product that meets the needs of all users, regardless of gender. This is why it is important to include a female perspective in the team, ensuring the product reflects women\u2019s needs and achieves success.<\/p>\n In IT, it primarily arises due to societal prejudices and the significantly higher representation of men involved in technology development. Prejudices and stereotypes are currently so widespread and ingrained that many people do not even realise when their everyday behaviour unconsciously reinforces them.<\/p>\n Gender inequality manifests differently across various areas of IT:<\/p>\n For artificial intelligence to improve, it needs existing data. However, this data often contains biases \u2013 for example, that women earn less, have fewer opportunities, or are unsuitable candidates for the IT sector.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence processes and perpetuates this data, which can negatively impact not only women working in IT but also their overall standing in society.<\/p>\n Men perceive topics, problems, and products differently than women. If they work on a project intended exclusively for women or the general public regardless of gender, the final product may not be sufficiently effective, engaging, or functional.<\/p>\n The best solution is to include women in the team who understand the needs of female users and incorporate them into the design and implementation. Alternatively, the final product can be tested with women, who may notice overlooked biases or weaknesses.<\/p>\n In some companies, the work environment is still primarily tailored to male teams, and disparities in remuneration <\/b> are also common. Women in the same positions as men may receive lower salaries, highlighting a systemic imbalance that we may not always recognise. Women may feel uncomfortable in such environments, negatively affecting their motivation, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.<\/p>\n Managers, team leaders, or company owners should strive to consider the needs of both men and women and create working conditions that suit all employees.<\/p>\n There are several ways to eliminate stereotypes in the IT sector. Some of them \u2013such as creating a pleasant working environment for women or integrating women into work teams \u2013 have already been discussed in previous sections. Other approaches include:<\/p>\n Ideally through social media, traditional media, or online articles. This can demonstrate that the IT sphere is not just for men and that women can also succeed in it.<\/p>\n Providing access to various training sessions, webinars, specialist articles, or courses for girls in primary and secondary schools can kickstart their careers at a young age.<\/p>\n Disseminating information about gender bias and gender equality within and outside the company (via social media, traditional media, articles, or studies) is crucial. Many people are aware of this issue, but few understand its true extent.<\/p>\n When communicating and sharing information related to gender bias and equality, it is important to be mindful of how we do so to avoid reinforcing stereotypes. Visuals and the way the IT sector and IT professionals are portrayed are equally important \u2013 men are most frequently depicted in advertisements and billboards.<\/p>\n If a company wants to support gender equality in IT, talking about it is not enough \u2013 it is essential to have a clearly defined strategy <\/b> that includes recruitment, training, mentoring, and creating an inclusive work environment. Such a strategy should be based on the real needs of employees, built on data, feedback, and long-term planning. A systematic approach is key to sustainable change.<\/p>\n Women can bring a great deal to the IT sector. First and foremost, they often have a more sensitive approach to consumers and users. Some problems require a more empathetic and emotional response, which is often a strength of women. This approach introduces new perspectives and ways to steer development in the right direction.<\/p>\n Women are also much quicker at identifying stereotypes and biases in the early stages of a project because they are more frequently exposed to them. This allows such issues to be addressed immediately \u2013 before they can influence the final product delivered to the customer.<\/p>\n Additionally, women bring other benefits, such as broadening team perspectives, changing workplace culture in IT, fostering innovation, and improving work outcomes.<\/p>\n Gender equality between women and men is one of Slovakia\u2019s critical issues, showing little improvement over the years, despite being an integral part of the fight for human rights. This is confirmed by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), which gave Slovakia 59.9 points out of 100 last year, placing it 22nd in the 2024 Gender Equality Index. Whether this result improves and Slovakia moves forward in 2025 will only be revealed by future statistics.<\/p>\n Globally, progress is slow \u2013 evidenced by the regular reports of the UN Commission on the Status of Women<\/i>, which tracks developments in gender equality and the status of women<\/i> in society.<\/p>\n Over the past three years, Slovakia has moved up just one place and gained 0.7 points \u2013 a very small improvement.<\/p>\n Beyond the overall score, the Gender Equality Index also includes individual areas such as work, money, knowledge, and time. Slovakia\u2019s highest scores were in health (85.5 points), money (74.5 points), and work (72.5 points).<\/p>\n How do Slovaks themselves perceive gender equality? According to a survey by Go4insight<\/a>, most believe gender equality is most evident at home \u2013 66% of men and 61% of women agree with this statement. In the workplace, these numbers are lower \u2013 46% of men and 40% of women. Slovaks perceive the lowest level of gender equality in politics \u2013 only 31% of men and 24% of women consider it sufficient.<\/p>\n Statistics show that Slovakia has work to do \u2013 not just in the IT sector but in other areas of working life. First and foremost, it is important to raise awareness about gender bias, as many people do not even recognise it \u2013 according to the Go4insight survey, 13% to 25% of respondents were unable to comment on various aspects of gender equality.<\/p>\n The next step is to propose practical solutions that can be realistically implemented. In the workplace, this could involve measures mentioned earlier \u2013 supporting equal opportunities, fostering a pleasant team environment, promoting education for girls and women, and increasing the visibility of women in IT. Equally important, however, is actively working towards balance in filling positions \u2013 especially technical and managerial roles, where women are often underrepresented.<\/p>\n Statistically, at msg life Slovakia, we have seen a thirtyfold increase in the number of female colleagues between 2005 and 2020. In 2005, two women worked with us; by 2020, there were 59, and since the beginning of 2021, five more female colleagues have joined. We are delighted that the representation of women in our company is growing. They are not afraid of the IT sector \u2013 on the contrary, they see it as a career opportunity that allows them to fully utilise their skills.<\/p>\n In addition to the growing number of new female colleagues, we have also seen an increase in the number of CVs sent to us by women. In January 2020, 11 women applied to us; in 2021, there were already 44. Both graduates and women seeking a career change are showing interest in working in this sector. We believe these numbers will continue to rise.<\/p>\n Are you interested in<\/b> working in IT<\/b><\/a>? Do not hesitate and check out our open job positions! <\/b><\/p>\n Women are always welcome in our company. Our female colleagues confidently handle even the most demanding tasks, and each of them contributes to team successes. We asked them what brought them to this job, how they feel working in a team and in a field that many still consider a male-dominated domain.<\/p>\n Mi\u0161ka joined us in September last year. She does not believe in coincidences, but by chance, a job offer for a Business Consultant\/Tester position literally “popped up” for her on LinkedIn<\/a>. “What drew me to IT was my unquenchable curiosity about information technology. I\u2019ve been inclined towards it since childhood and loved computer games. In my free time, I worked with computers and could solve problems on my own,” <\/em> she recalls.<\/p>\n In a predominantly male team, Mi\u0161ka says she works excellently: “My colleagues are easygoing and have a great sense of humour.”<\/em> And in what way does she think women in IT are better than men? “It\u2019s hard to say: each of us has a unique personality and approach; everyone is one of a kind.”<\/em> She believes everyone contributes uniquely to the collective effort. She adds: “It\u2019s good to sometimes feel feminine energy in IT, too.” Women, she says, approach work more sensitively and with greater emotion \u2013 which is not entirely common in this field.<\/p>\n Lydia has been working at msg life Slovakia for almost 13 years. She was the first woman in our Kosice office. Although she studied finance, she couldn\u2019t find enough suitable job opportunities in her field in her hometown. At that time, the IT sector was beginning to gain momentum in Kosice \u2013 and we\u2019re glad that Lydia chose to join us. Better financial compensation was also a motivation for her.<\/p>\n For many years, she was mostly surrounded by male colleagues in the office, but last year our office on Werferova Street<\/a> welcomed two new female colleagues. \u201cI enjoy working with men \u2013 they\u2019re very helpful and friendly, they don\u2019t overcomplicate things, and generally they\u2019re less prone to conflict. But my new female colleagues are just as great, and I\u2019m happy that they\u2019ve enriched our predominantly male team.\u201d <\/em> Lydia believes that women are thorough and precise, which helps them thrive in IT. \u201cThey also tend to have better communication skills,\u201d<\/em> she adds.<\/p>\n Hard skills vs soft skills – which skills will help you get your dream job?<\/span><\/p> Kristina has been with us for almost two and a half years. After a long period in her previous job, the time came when she needed a change of environment. She worked in sales, and her position was demanding. She felt that the only way to avoid burnout was a complete change of job and field.<\/p>\n She decided to move into IT, even though it was once “Greek to her” \u2013 and to some extent, it still is. “I learn something new every day, but I couldn\u2019t be happier with my decision to jump headfirst into something new and unknown. I\u2019m very satisfied.” <\/em><\/p>\n She is the only woman in her team. She admits that she had concerns at the beginning, but they turned out to be completely unfounded. “My colleagues are always willing to help, and their technical skills \u2013 not just at work \u2013 are a huge advantage. Whenever I have a question, they always advise me.” <\/em> Kristina is convinced that it doesn\u2019t matter whether someone is a man or a woman. “In my opinion, anyone can pursue any profession.”<\/em><\/p>\n Coincidence also played a role in Gabika\u2019s professional life. She studied international financial management in German and, in her own words, never dreamed of working in IT. “I didn\u2019t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I imagined something in the economic field. I wanted to stay connected to the German language. Fresh out of university, I got a good reference for msg life, and since the emphasis was on German and logical thinking, I decided to give it a try. And I haven\u2019t regretted it,” <\/em> she says.<\/p>\n A sample reference letter from employer: how and when to include a job reference on a resume?<\/span><\/p> Gabika praises her work at msg life, which she attributes in part to the good team atmosphere. “In five years at the company, it\u2019s never happened that we couldn\u2019t agree on a solution acceptable to all parties, or that a colleague didn\u2019t help me when I reached out to them. And there\u2019s always a lot of fun at after-work events,” <\/em> she adds.<\/p>\n Gabika sees the main advantage of women in IT in their perceptiveness, empathy, and communication skills, which she believes are beneficial in client interactions and teamwork. “Women approach tasks more conscientiously and solve them more precisely, but I wouldn\u2019t categorise who is better at what based on gender. I think a lot depends more on a person\u2019s character than their sex,” <\/em> she concludes.<\/p>\n “The need to try something different, something new. To start from scratch, so to speak.” <\/em> This is how Adka describes her beginnings in IT, having previously worked as a financial analyst. Like Gabika, Adka also ended up in IT by chance. “A friend of a friend worked here and mentioned they were looking for people. But this field had been appealing to me for a while. IT always sounded interesting and relaxed, with a hint of the unknown,” <\/em> she explains.<\/p>\n Adka also praises the team. “The male colleagues are very kind and chivalrous. The female colleagues are friendly and easygoing,” <\/em> our skilled business consultant describes the work atmosphere. And what\u2019s the difference between men and women? In her view, the fairer sex has a greater eye for detail and empathy in the IT world. <<\/p>\n “I used to picture myself in a marketing department or in PR. I couldn\u2019t imagine that one day I\u2019d be testing software. Back then, I had no idea how broad the IT field is or how many different areas it encompasses,” <\/em> Lucka begins describing her IT career.<\/p>\n She was led to the position of tester\/consultant by chance and an interesting job offer. She quickly realised it was the right decision. She sees the main advantage in the gender balance within the team. “We have the opportunity to discuss various topics, and it\u2019s interesting to observe the perspectives of men and women on the same issue,”<\/em> she says.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, she doesn\u2019t believe one gender has an edge in IT. ““Each of us has certain abilities, experiences, and ways of thinking, and thanks to that, we can approach problems from different angles. But we always reach the same goal in the end,” <\/em> she adds.<\/p>\n Barbora was approached by a recruitment agency while she was still working as an actuary. “An offer came up to switch to the side where software for insurance companies is developed. It intrigued me, and I decided to give it a try.” <\/em> Nearly five years have passed since then, and she has no complaints about working in our team. “I\u2019m really enjoying my work. Before, I worked in a predominantly female team, and I wouldn\u2019t change it back. The guys are fun \u2013 they\u2019re not all IT guys in flannel shirts with greasy hair, like many people imagine.” <\/em> In her view, everyone is different, and when the team is great, it\u2019s a joy to work there.<\/p>\n The satisfaction of our female colleagues confirms that women have a solid place at msg life Slovakia, with doors wide open. We are still looking for new colleagues to join our branches in Bratislava, Zilina, and Kosice. Check out our latest job offers<\/a> and join us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you interested in the topic of gender equality in IT? Read our article for the latest statistics and interesting facts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[274],"class_list":["post-17166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","tag-women-in-it-en"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17166"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24768,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17166\/revisions\/24768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"zivotopis-programatora\"](\"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/zivotopis-programatora.webp\" "\\"zivotopis-programatora\\"")
<\/div>Creative solutions<\/h3>\n
Better consideration of all users\u2019 needs<\/h3>\n
How does gender bias arise in technologies?<\/h2>\n
Data and AI algorithms<\/h3>\n
UX\/UI design<\/h3>\n
Software solutions and work environment<\/h3>\n
How to eliminate gender stereotypes in IT?<\/h2>\n
Highlighting women in IT<\/h3>\n
Supporting young girls in education<\/h3>\n
Raising awareness about gender equality<\/h3>\n
Using appropriate language, terminology, and visuals<\/h3>\n
The benefits of women in IT and solutions to reduce gender bias<\/h2>\n
What is the current situation in Slovakia?<\/h2>\n
Slovaks’ view on gender equality at work, in politics, and at home<\/h3>\n
How is the situation at msg life Slovakia?<\/h2>\n
What do our female colleagues say about working at msg life Slovakia?<\/h2>\n
Miska, Software Testing Consultant, Bratislava<\/h3>\n
Lydia, Software Testing Consultant, Kosice<\/h3>\n
![\"Hard](\"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/hard-soft-skills-programator-954x600-1.webp\" "\\"Hard")
<\/div>Kristina, Software Testing Consultant, Bratislava<\/h3>\n
Gabika, Business Consultant, Bratislava<\/h3>\n
![\"vzor-referencie-od-zamestnavatela-do-zivotopisu-954x600\"](\"https:\/\/performance-msg-life-sk.rucolabs.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vzor-referencie-od-zamestnavatela-do-zivotopisu-954x600-1.webp\" "\\"vzor-referencie-od-zamestnavatela-do-zivotopisu-954x600\\"")
<\/div>Adka, Business Consultant\/Tester, Bratislava<\/h3>\n
Lucka, Tester\/Consultant, Bratislava<\/h3>\n
Barbora, Software Consultant, Bratislava<\/strong><\/h3>\n