Our “Why”

Welcome to our why...

Everyone has a ‘why’, a reason they do what they do (Simon Sinek actually wrote a great book called ‘Find Your Why’ which I’d recommend to anybody looking to find something that makes them sparkle). 

I briefly touched on the ‘why’ behind Brave, Bold, Digital in our last blog, but felt a responsibility to highlight just how important the reason behind our platform really is. I hope we can see this article as a starting point, so we can metaphorically mark this moment in time to look at where we are, where we would like to be, and hopefully, one day, we can look back at how far we’ve come. 

I promise future articles will be more light-hearted and optimistic, but, for now, a peek into our ‘why’ and the reason Brave, Bold, Digital exists. 

The status quo…

A recent report from UKTN explained that “just 26% of those in the tech workforce are women”.  26%. That’s just over a quarter. Imagine how lonely that could be for a woman? Or how isolating that could be for a woman considering a career in the sector? For every one female in the digital sector, she is outnumbered by four males. 

“More worryingly, women are driven out of the tech sector due to burnout, gendered biases, toxic aspects of “bro-culture” and a lack of work-life balance.” All of which feel somewhat inevitable when the representation is so limited. It’s natural that a male dominated industry will lean towards gendered biases - and nobody is to blame for that. But, maybe it’s worth considering how those biases impact the future diversity of your team, or the accessibility and representation of your company to the next generation?

“All these things together are ultimately driving down the retention rate of women in tech.” You can see where this is going, right? It’s a domino effect. It’s unintentional. It’s (unfortunately) somewhat natural. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right, or that we have to just sit back and accept it. These facts and figures won’t change overnight, and there’s no magic wand we can wave to make it easier - but hopefully this data highlights just how valuable the community we hope to build with Brave, Bold, Digital could be. 

A force for good… 

Thinking to the future, a huge part of the heart that builds up Brave, Bold, Digital is inspiring the next generation of talented young women. A study by PWC found that only “3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice”. 3%! Need I say more? 

Only 16% of females have had a career in technology suggested to them and a staggering 78% of students can’t name a famous female working in technology, which might have something to do with only 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector being held by women. All of which beg the questions, how can we make these figures better? How can we help empower women already in the digital sector? How can we encourage younger women to consider a career in digital? How can we shine a light on the female powerhouses driving tech business?

That’s the gist of it…

I think that’s probably enough stats and numbers for one day, but you can see what I’m getting at, right? The stats are disappointing (to say the least) but they give a pretty clear idea of why Brave, Bold, Digital needs to exist. I hope in a year's time, I’ll be sitting here writing a similar stat-based article, looking back on a year of progression, positivity and inclusion. And, in the meantime, Brave, Bold, Digital will do everything it can to help make that happen. 

We’re a force to be reckoned with, on a mission to encourage, empower and support women in digital. 

Are you with us?

Sources: https://www.uktech.news/sponsored/tech-gender-gap-2022-20220121#:~:text=Just%2026%25%20of%20those%20in,lack%20of%20work%2Dlife%20balance

https://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/women-in-technology/time-to-close-the-gender-gap.html