Why aren’t there more women in tech?

With women comprising 41% of the tech workforce in Singapore – way past the global average of 28% – it’s tempting to hyperbolise it as an achievement. These stats from a 2020 study by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), SG Women in Technology, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reflect the future of gender diversity in technology throughout Southeast Asia and attempt to identify problems and solutions.

The study has highlighted the gender gap within the tech scene. In Singapore, 5% of jobs were vacant in Q1 2020 – almost double that of 2010. The lower participation of women in the industry can worsen the critical shortage of talent and inhibit a nation’s growth, especially since Covid-19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation in Singapore.

A survey by Nanyang Technological University associate professors Sierin Lim and Kimberly Kline in 2021, meanwhile, found that only 58% of women who graduated with a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) pursued careers in these fields. However, 70% of men did so.

Grace Chng is a tech journalist, author, and host of The Curious PodcastThe film, which features women leaders from Asia’s tech and science industries, attributes it to culture.

Parents think that the STEM disciplines don’t suit girls, that engineers working in factories and scientists sitting in front of computers all the time are not appropriate careers for women.  

Grace Chng is a tech journalist, author, and host of The Curious Podcast

Grace, who worked as a journalist for 31 years. The Straits TimesDuring which time she was in charge of the weekly Digital Life magazine, continues: “There are many tech roles emerging; some of which need technical expertise, others need a deep understanding of technology.

“Apart from the coders, network engineers and cloud architects, there are also games artists and designers, digital custodians for the emerging world of crypto and NFT, and digital marketers.”

It is necessary to change mindsets in order to encourage women into tech careers. Grace, 66, who is part of the committee behind SG Women In Tech – to attract, retain and develop female talents in tech – says: “Showcasing role models by raising awareness of the many exciting tech jobs and highlighting successful female technologists are ways to nudge young girls towards studying STEM and joining the tech industry.”  

And even if these women are already working in tech, many often quit – less than 15% of chief executives and board positions in Southeast Asia are held by women, according to the study. Such reduced gender diversity can impact companies’ ability to innovate, as well as their revenues.

As BCG’s research indicates, companies where women comprise more than 20% of management earn about 10% higher innovation revenues than those with male-dominated leadership.

In light of that, Grace’s The Curious PodcastThis initiative aims to empower women in tech to have greater confidence in each other and to be able to overcome the challenges they face.

It is crucial that Singaporeans embrace digital learning as a lifetime pursuit, in addition to bridging digital divide between men and women. This is what the Digital for Life movement wants to achieve. It was created by President Halimah Yacob in February 2021 and accompanied by the Digital for Life funds, which have grown to $7.6million to date.

The movement is supported by IMDA and seeks public support for activities and projects that promote digital inclusion, resilience, and adoption of tech for all life.

Since the Digital for Life Fund’s inception, 22 projects have been funded. Up to date, 43% are women who are project owners or advocates. Seven projects support women in getting digitally connected and tech-savvy. And you can “play” it forward by starting a project, volunteering, or donating to the Digital for Life Fund.

Grace offers more insight on how women can add value to tech.    

What do you think women bring tech?

Here’s the easiest way to explain this: women are consumers who make buying decisions at home and at work, and who influence the lives of their families and friends. They are consumers of products and users tech services. They are a part of the economy. So women’s perspectives need to be considered.  They make up half of the 7.9-billion people worldwide.

The pandemic has shown how important it is to have digital skills in order to be part of the online community. Singapore is a country where both boys and women have equal access digital education. So I hope that women will not only be a part of the digital transformation, but also play an important part in it.

In an article I wrote, Dr Ong Chen Hui, IMDA’s cluster director for Biztech and chairperson of SG Women In Tech national committee, said it best: “I believe that women and men working together offer different points of view and approaches that come from different life experiences, which can spark creativity and innovation, and help organisations identify and seize new opportunities.”

What is your favorite thing about writing about technology?

Technology is exciting because of its rapid changes and the potential for us to be changed. Technology is never dull. This is what keeps me hooked on the tech beat.

Technology is about innovation, invention. It can grow large companies and influence how we work and play. These companies are often driven and influenced by inspiring and influential leaders who then use technology to improve society.

What brought you to the start? The Curious Podcast?

In 2020 and 2021, I was the SG100 Women In Tech list curator. Each year, we’d receive nearly 1,000 nominations – there are many female tech professionals based in Singapore but they are so well-hidden that few know them. They are also extremely qualified and difficult to select.

The Curious Podcast arose from SG100 WIT. I wanted to feature these outstanding female technologists, so I asked Lena Soh-Ng – she has broadcast journalism experience – to co-host. I am grateful that IMDA partially funded this, which helped to offset costs such sound editing and social media boosting.

We interviewed more 20 women, most of them based in Singapore. These include Dr Carolyn Lam, an accomplished cardiologist who pioneered Singapore’s first Women’s Health Clinic; Lynette Tan, co-founder and chief executive of Singapore Space and Technology Ltd, and Marjet Andriesse, vice-president and GM of Red Hat Asia Pacific, who believes that jobs would become a hybrid of tech know-how and business expertise or domain knowledge.

Even those who were overseas had links to Singapore – a data scientist in Manila who worked with A*STAR, and a cancer researcher in Malaysia who studied at Raffles Girls School.

Their single-mindedness in pursuit of their innovative work as well as their creativity, intrigue and innovation are what fascinate me.

This profile profiles these female scientists and technologists. It also includes their career paths and the industries they work in. The Curious PodcastTo attract and retain young women in STEM-related fields and to encourage them to pursue tech careers. These women scientists and technologists serve as role models to younger women and encourage them to pursue STEM fields. We also use this opportunity to highlight the many opportunities in the STEM and tech industries.

What’s next for you?

I have written books after the ST. Intelligent Island: The Untold Story of Singapore’s Tech Journey chronicles the achievements and lessons learnt of Singapore’s expertise in IT master-planning, manpower development and industry development. From Zero To 30 Singapore’s Supercomputing Journey, meanwhile, follows Singapore’s 20-year journey in supercomputing.

My third book will be published in the coming year. It tells the story of the National University of Singapore’s creation of a top-notch internship program to encourage entrepreneurship. Students spend a year abroad at NUS Overseas college (NOC) and work with start-ups. They also take classes on entrepreneurship.

NOC has played a crucial role in Singapore’s start-up ecosystem; many students have become poster kids for the scene, such as Darius Cheung (99.co); Quek Siu Rui (Carousell), and Chris Feng (Shopee).

What are the challenges that we must overcome in order to create a digitally inclusive society in Singapore?

As technology advances, there will always be segments of society that can’t embrace digital as quickly as others. These include the elderly, special needs people, and low-income groups.

Particularly with Covid-19, digitization has accelerated; going online enabled people to WFH as well as organisations to continue to function efficiently.

These communities may not know how to do digital transactions. This is why it is important that they have access to, adoption, literacy, cyber wellness, and literacy.

Providers of digital services face a challenge in creating better user interfaces that allow these communities to access digital services more easily.

I look forward to digital outreach programs like Digital for Life that can help these communities use digital services. Through Digital for Life’s community digitisation activities, people from all walks of life – working adults, retirees or students – can start or participate in projects that benefit the less tech-savvy. For example, websites can be created for low-income people to receive food donations and elderly people can access government services via their mobile phones. These initiatives will help to create a more digitally inclusive society.

Technology has never penetrated so quickly into our daily lives. Therefore, it is crucial that everyone be digitally literate.

Each of us can contribute to a digitally inclusive world. Start a project, volunteer or donate to the Digital for Life Fund. Go to go.gov.sg/digitalforlife to find out how.

Digital for Life

The Infocomm Media Development Agency supports the movement