Saskatoon's Gender Equity Playbook A Study of Women in Tech
The intention of this playbook is to share the successes, challenges, and stories of women in tech in Saskatoon and their ideas to support actionable change within the tech community. Download the full study, Canada’s Gender Equity Roadmap, at www.womenintechworld.com.
Driving WinTech is a community-based research initiative that brought together diverse stakeholders from Canada’s tech communities in order to uncover the experiences and stories of women in tech. The initiative featured a series of research activities, including Community Conversations engaging participants in individual and group discussion.
Primary Research Questions • Who are women in the technology sector in Canada? • What are the successes and barriers experienced by women in the technology sector in Canada? • What are community-driven recommendations for creating more gender-diverse and inclusive technology communities across Canada?
WOMEN IN TECH WORLD - CANADA'S GENDER EQUITY ROADMAP
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Voices from Canadian Tech Communities: Research Participants Our research participants are from over 30 tech communities across Canada, large and small. This playbook represents a subsection of the research outlining what was said by participants in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This snapshot compares the voices of 85 research participants in the Saskatoon tech community with 165 research participants from throughout Saskatchewan. While it gives us an important glimpse into the community, we recognize that the findings may not be reflective of all views.
Driving WinTech, we invited participants that self-selected into one of the following groups: (a) woman currently working in tech (technical or nontechnical role), (b) woman who recently left the tech industry, (c) ally or advocate of women in tech, or (d) other stakeholder in the tech industry. Our full approach and results are outlined within Canada’s Gender Equity Roadmap: A Study of Women in Tech.
Throughout the research, the term “women” includes all womenidentified people. For the purpose of
Participants' Positions (Primary Domain)
Bus iness Development / Sa l es, 4.7%
Cus tomer Support / Cus tomer Success, 3.5%
Des ign, 2.4% Prefer not to a ns wer, 1.2%
Mul ti ple, 4.7% Product Ma na gement, 5.9%
I identify as a/an:
Sta keholder i n the tech i ndustry (i ncl uding government, non-profit, educational organizations or s ervi ce providers), 7.1%
Prefer not to a ns wer, 2.4%
Woma n who recently l eft the tech i ndustry wi thin the last 5 yea rs , 1.2%
Woma n working i n the tech i ndustry (tech or non-tech role), 74.1%
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Ma rketing / Communications, 7.1%
Opera tions / Huma n Res ources, 10.6%
Advoca te / ally for women in technology, 15.3%
WOMEN IN TECH WORLD - CANADA'S GENDER EQUITY ROADMAP
Technical Role, 41.2%
Other, 18.8%
What's Working: Regional Perspective Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
• • • •
• Increased awareness of tech opportunities in schools • Scholarships for technical education • Equal opportunities for women and men at work • Mentorship and networking events
Scholarships for technical education Women-focused tech events Safe learning space for women Diversity in hiring at tech companies, however, primarily focuses on younger women or new graduates • Mentorship and career training for women
While these supports vary across the Saskatoon tech community, the list is extremely valuable.
What's Not Working: Regional Perspective Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
• Women not given equal opportunity and visibility at work • Lack of women in leadership roles • Lack of support from male colleagues • Unconscious bias in hiring; hiring people who look like you • Gender stereotypes and bias
• Lack of family-friendly and flexible opportunities • Limited women-focused tech events or programs • Male-dominated industry resulting in boys’ club mentality • Old biases and gender stereotypes
There is a strong emphasis on getting women into STEM roles but a lack of support once they are there. More needs to be done to allow women to speak out on the issues they face and discrimination they experience. Dealing with comments on my gender instead of my accomplishments can be very discouraging.
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Always feel like I'm moving forward when I'm engaging with the tech industry here, whether building my skills or interacting with others.
Reach underrepresented group: First Nations and Metis, women of colour, people with disabilities, not just solve it for women.
You do stick out like a sore thumb at times and if you don't have the tough skin to take the heat, you will leave the role or maybe industry. Not enough people that even relate to you, it can be isolating.
If you wanted a successful [woman] mentor, where would you find one?
Build Your Plan: Ideas from the Road
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Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
1. Champion visible and relatable women in tech role models. 2. Hire more women professors and teachers in STEM courses. 3. Provide mentorship for girls at an early age. Promote informal mentorship focusing on advice. 4. Provide accessible and affordable child care. 5. Focus on providing technical skills training at all levels. This includes, incorporating tech education in core curricula and increasing online access to education for women between the ages of 55-64.
1. Increase interactions in the community. Arrange formal networking opportunities for women working in the tech industry. 2. Mentorship programs organized by the government, including mentorship throughout school. 3. Tech education in core curricula. 4. Tech programs, events, and workshops, including women’s learning groups.
WOMEN IN TECH WORLD - CANADA'S GENDER EQUITY ROADMAP
Acknowledgements
Publishing Information
Canada’s Gender Equity Roadmap: A Study of Women in Tech is a testament to the Canada's tech communities and we want to acknowledge everyone who shared their expertise and time to build it. From our incredible community of volunteers, women in tech, and allies who dedicated thousands of hours to #DrivingWinTech Canada, to our community partners, sponsors, and crowd funders for the generous support. We thank you all.
No part of this study may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief passages quoted in critical articles and reviews with citation. For more information, visit our full study at www.womenintechworld. com. Date of Issue October 2018
Supporting Women in Tech World To learn how you can support Women in Tech World, please contact: Partnerships, Women in Tech World Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada e: partnerships@womenintechworld.com w: womenintechworld.com/donate
Thank You To Our Local Sponsors
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