Women can create ANY career for themselves!

This article is part of the #ChooseToChallenge campaign by Hashnode.

The number of women in tech is as low as it gets. And we all have been hearing a lot about it in recent times. But imagining a world where men and women are equal is far from being realized.

Whenever I see a situation and don't understand the WHY behind it, I reverse engineer it.

I did the same for understanding - Why there are so fewer Women in Tech and based on my own and fellow women developers' experience, I came to realize the main hurdle that makes women choose career option different from tech (or force them to drop the plan of creating a career for themselves) -

The Unconscious Bias during Exploring Career Option

It took me three odd years to realize that I want to create a career in tech. My framework of finding the right career option for myself was exactly the same as finding the right shoe for myself. Try, Try, Try and see which one fits.

But while I was doing these trial experiments, with a range of domains from Content writing, to marketing, to data analysis to Web development.

There was a consistent bias in "advice" given by people along the way.

Non-tech jobs suits women, more I think you should go for it.

You are doing good with Content. I think you should go with it, as being a Dev can wreak one's brain. Too much logic involved.

You are good with speaking, though I am just good at coding, you know the "logic" stuff. I think that's why you get lucky with opportunities now and then.

And such word of advice can come from your teachers and friends too.

One of the most knowledgeable teachers in my college talked for years about how women are a misfit for tech as it requires logic. Saying things to students -

There are some specific tasks and responsibilities that are supposed to be fulfilled by women, and it is suitable for all of us if they stick to them. Like - Carrying kids, doing household work, etc.

If you ever knowingly or unknowingly quoted anything like the above as a piece of advice or wise-word. Remember one thing - Every Individual has a different need for the degree of Craftmanship, flexibility, and ownership that they want from their work. It has NOTHING TO DO WITH their gender.

Many women get frightened of tech even before giving it a try due to such advice and opinions.

Each of us deserves a genuine chance to explore whatever we feel can be true to our soul. It is no joke that we spend more than 2/3 of our life on our work, and we deserve to design our work-life as we want it.

A woman can be a developer, an ice-cream consultant, a sky-diving instructor, or a play-school teacher. She can be Anything and EVERYTHING!

Also, the small number of women who choose to create a tech career gets bumped into shitty interview processes where they are treated differently from men and workplace discrimination and harassment.

My friend @iamshadmirza has very beautifully spoken about these two points in his article. Read it here.

Just like him, you can lend your voice too, for the #ChooseToChallenge campaign.

What we plead for is equality of chance and equality of opportunity.

And it is not about one woman, me or you creating a promising career for ourselves and finding an unbiased workplace. It is about all of us because until all of us have made it, none of us have made it.

Hence, I #ChooseToChallenge the bias put in women's brains while they are exploring and trying to find the career they love.

Everything I just said, other women have said before. Last year, the year before that, and many years before that too.

So, don't just listen or read, ACT.

So, We don't have to say it again.

Let me know in the comments below what will be your ONE Act from now onwards to ensure that every woman can create the career they want to create for themselves. 👇🏻