Seeing the Gap, Closing the Gap
Seeing the Gap, Closing the Gap – How Hidden Gender Bias and Visible Role Models Shape Women’s Lives in Tech
When we asked our female staff to talk about their lived experience in their tech careers so far, two points stood out: the subtle biases that colour everyday interactions and the transformative power of seeing women succeed.
Note: none of the names below are the individuals’ real names.
The Biases That Hide in Plain Sight
The phrase gender bias fundamentally refers to the unequal treatment or unfair representation of people based on their gender, often fuelled by prejudice or incorrect stereotypes. It can be conscious or, perhaps more commonly, unconscious and can impact every aspect of life.
The group spoke about where they have observed biases; Lauren recalled a time at a previous company during an online conference call where a man quipped, “It’s the perfect height to do your ironing,” while a senior female teammate was adjusting her standing desk.
The speaker thought the joke was harmless, but it undermined and trivialised the woman’s role. She, despite visibly recoiling, dealt with the situation gracefully: “Would you like to repeat that?”. He did not.
In that kind of situation, it is clear that the speaker is biased. However, biases may not always be so obvious. For example, there can be subtle differences in everyday work interactions. Amy spoke about some previous experiences with feedback, also citing a study from the Harvard Business Review:
“Women can receive vague feedback, whereas men get specific, evidence-based feedback”
In practice this means a woman might be told “you’re doing a good job” while a male colleague receives “your code reduced latency by 12%” or “excellent work on the X module.” The lack of concrete data leaves women guessing what they’re doing right and what they need to improve, which may lead them to overprepare and silently doubt themselves.
If unchallenged, this self-doubt can become imposter syndrome, a condition where individuals believe (inaccurately) that their success is fraudulent and undeserved. According to a recent Hays survey, nearly 70% of female professional employees reported experiencing these feelings (compared with 58% for men).
Self-doubt may also be compounded by being the odd-one-out in a team, a common experience for women in cyber security. However, male colleagues can reduce this effect simply by being kind and inclusive. One member of our group talked about joining a new team with no other women:
“In the back of my mind there was a thing of “right, is it going to be lads plus me?” and I’ve not had that experience which has been really nice. Equally it’s not been like “we need to include you because you are the only woman”, which has been nice as well. It’s just been I have been another [Junior Consultant] and that’s been my label.”
It is important to be clear that inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake is not the answer to these biases: no one wants to be hired based solely on their gender.
So how do we break the biases?
We all accept that the biases exist and that things will not change immediately. One of the overwhelming themes of the conversation was that most women in the industry go through the same challenges. However, we will not let these challenges stop us – the more of us there are, the bigger steps we can take to change the mindset.
We all agreed it must start at a grass-roots level; our Junior Consultant, Charlotte, shared this moment from a recent STEM outreach event:
“[The children] got to choose the employee they wanted as their leader. And I had a group of the only four girls running at me”
That unscripted moment shows the importance of giving girls a role model. There are multiple studies showing that “you cannot be what you cannot see”, so allowing primary school-age girls to see a woman in a tech position is a huge positive and will offer something concrete to aspire towards.
The group spoke about working in typically male–dominated industries, where women have less visibility. Being the only woman in the room is something that many young women will experience during education, especially in STEM subjects. This makes it even more important to have a community within the workplace. Inside CoreTech, a self-organised female community has become an informal safe space for open conversation.
Members of the community share stories, mentor juniors and normalise the presence of women in cyber. Its impact is measurable: the cohort this year includes two female graduates, a sign that perhaps times are changing.
Another key arena is conferences. When senior women step onto conference stages, the ripple effect is even larger. Emily recalled a recent panel where three women speakers were repeatedly met with “wow” from the audience. She observed,
“The more women we have on stage, the more the industry sees us as normal. ”
Calls to Action – Practical Steps to Encourage Change
Both hidden bias and role model visibility are actionable levers. Below are concrete steps that any tech organisation can adopt.
Make feedback specific – ideally driven by results
Implement a rubric that requires managers to attach a measurable outcome to feedback comments. This eliminates vague language and gives all employees, but particularly women, the evidence they need to track progress. It also helps to reduce self-doubt.
Zero-Tolerance Policy for Micro-Aggressive Jokes
Empower allies to interrupt jokes like the “ironing” remark in real time. A short script such as “Would you mind re-phrasing that?” or “Did you really mean to say that?” gives everyone a clear, non-confrontational way to call out bias.
Gender Bias Audit of Job Descriptions
Use a Gender Decoder before posting any vacancy, although be wary of these – some claim the word “engineer” to be male coded, which lots of our team disagree with! Better yet, ensure that every ad is reviewed by at least one female team member to catch inadvertent gendered phrasing.
Scale Visible Role Model Programs
Create a “Women in Tech” speaker series where female team members give regular talks on projects, challenges and successes. Record and share these talks to broaden reach. This can start very informally to help build confidence and momentum.
Formalise the Community as a Mentorship Hub or Women’s Employee Resource Group
Allocate a budget for meetups, guest speakers and a shared communications channel. Pair each junior woman with a senior mentor for a six-month development plan for organic, in-house support.
Partner with Schools and Youth Groups for Early Exposure
Develop a STEM Day kit—materials, plus a hands-on activity, with clear female participation and leadership. Work with local schools, scout groups and girl guides, replicating the powerful moment when the girls chose a female leader.
Consider Diversifying Hiring Practices
Create specific vacancies or internships targeted at those trying to encourage candidates from more diverse backgrounds or those returning to the workplace after periods of leave.
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