Throw me the ball!

Marina Guseva, Founder @ LetoSoft, reflects on gender diversity in the tech industry. She shares her experiences of being the only woman in the room and the challenges women face due to social stereotypes. Marina emphasizes the importance of addressing and changing these habits.

Marina Guseva, Founder @ LetoSoft

Recently, I saw news that an IT conference invented non-existent female speakers to show Gender Diversity. This is both funny and generally sad.

I always reflect on what it takes to be a woman in the tech industry. At the Web Summit, I was greatly impressed by an interview with Peggy Johnson, Former CEO at Magic Leap: “… I was almost always the only woman in the room for years and years… “. These words made me want to jump out of my chair and shout, “Me too!!!”. 

I remembered how many times I found myself in this situation: when there is more than one man in the room, they turn around and start talking to each other. They don’t mean it. It happens out of habit. And because our inner monkey perceives the frequencies of female and male voices differently. And due to social stereotypes – what smart can this woman say, especially if she’s attractive? (Yes, you think if a woman is good-looking, it’s somehow easier for her. I can give many examples that refute this.(A friend, female-founder, was advised to change her photo to “less attractive” in the pitch deck. No, she wasn’t in a bikini, just a regular, plain headshot.) 

I remembered how many times I voluntarily gave power to men, simply due to social habit, being raised in a male-dominated society. How many women take on work that no man wants to do because they (men) have better opportunities?

Peggy Johnson on taking the position of Magic Leap CEO: “… oh, it’s one of those glass cliff jobs, you know, no one else wanted it… oh there’s a woman over here. Maybe she’ll take this job… But I had a vision. I had a plan and I deployed on that… it was one of the most fulfilling three years of my life. And I’m glad I did it.”

Habits, our habitual behaviour patterns – are what we don’t notice. Therefore, it is so important to pay attention, and talk about. The louder, the better. Only then can habits be seen and changed.

The interviewer, Mike Butcher, asked Peggi for advice for male Tech Executives. Peggi: “I’m a bit of an introvert. I’m quiet and it was always hard for me to break into conversations in big meetings full of big, boisterous characters. (- Me too, Me too!) I used to say to whoever was leading the meeting – make an opening for me to get my point across… And they would… 

I would say to anybody who’s quiet: if you’re managing them – throw them the ball… They’re there for a reason, and they should be heard.”

The Web Summit has been running the Women in Tech program for several years, dramatically increasing the number of female participants. The new CEO of the Web Summit is a woman, there are many female speakers at the conference, and the special Women in Tech Lounge is always fully packed.

We may be different biologically, but we must be equal socially. Throw us the ball! We are ready to make the world a better place!