Women in IT

For many years (and even centuries), women have been fighting for equal treatment in society. In recent years, much has changed for the better, but there is still a lot to be done.

Recently, I was intrigued by a post on LinkedIn suggesting that while discrimination against women is still a current topic in many industries, it practically doesn't exist in the IT industry.

Is the IT industry, dominated by men, truly free from prejudice and discrimination against women?

And do women know it? Let's give them the floor.

Report: Women in IT

Detailed analysis of respondent feedback

Phenomenon

Have you ever had someone explain a topic you're an expert in, or assume you lack technical knowledge of a project (so-called mansplaining)?

Teamwork

Have you ever had your idea ignored, only for it to be repeated by a male colleague moments later and hailed as brilliant?

Professional Role

Have you ever been mistaken at work for an assistant, recruiter, office manager, or simply ignored despite working in technology?

Relationships

Do you feel that gender influences how you are perceived within the team?

Atmosphere

Have you encountered jokes about 'women in IT' that were meant to be funny but were just poor?

Knowledge

How often do you feel you have to prove your knowledge more than your male colleagues? 1-Not at all, 5-Every day

Your real, absurd stories

"A classic: A woman in IT is like a guinea pig - in Polish, it's called 'świnka morska' (sea pig), but it's neither a pig nor from the sea."

"Lecturer, when I walked into class for the first time (Computer Science) - 'You have the wrong room, Management is in the building next door.'"

"You don't need to program, it's enough that you look good..."

"One of the employees assigned to a project I was leading told me directly: He is aggressive towards me because it is not natural for a 40-year-old man to come for advice to a young girl who has barely 2 years of experience in the industry."

"At a non-IT employer where I was the only female programmer. During onboarding, I was shown around and introduced to various departments. Reactions:
a) Oh, cool, a woman joined.
b) Oh dear, poor thing, how will you manage there with the guys?
c) In one room with an all-male IT crew, upon seeing me, there were whistles (sexual in nature)."

"A supervisor in a one-on-one conversation right after I started said 'I like that you're a woman'. That was the only strength he ever noticed in me during that job."

"A supervisor addressing my team as 'guys'."

"During a job interview, the technical interviewers giggled among themselves and said that 'they really need a woman in the team'."

"At an IT conference, I was mistaken for the staff."

"I traveled with a male colleague to training sessions across various branches. Often a director would come out to meet us, rushing to shake my colleague's hand: 'Good morning, please this way.' They'd walk off together, and I'd follow in the second row. I used to love seeing the director's face when it turned out that I, not my colleague, was leading the main training. :)"

"At presentations, I always start by introducing myself and organizational matters. After one session, a participant admitted he thought I was an assistant there to handle the logistics, and that when I finished, I would introduce the real trainer - A MAN. :o"

"You overcomplicate everything. Why do you keep digging? Just do it as I tell you."

"The most absurd situation was when we had 3 teams with 4 women and about 20 men. The management spent a month wondering where to put the 'last' woman because it would be 'uneven'. It worries me that the division was in any way related to gender."

Thank you to all the women for participating in the survey and for these thought-provoking stories!