Women in Tech: Creating a Community of Allies

The tech industry has been paying more and more attention to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the past decade. In March, TouchTunes held its first Women’s Coding Night in collaboration with Le Wagon, to offer a steppingstone for future women in tech to enter the industry. We invited our developers Alika, Juke Developer, Anissa, iOS Developer, and Isabelle, Associate Data Scientist, to share their insight on navigating the tech landscape, the challenges they faced, and the progress they have both experienced and been part of by choosing this career path. Here is their story.

“Overcoming challenges, fixing problems in my code and then watching the final result made me feel empowered, like I could do anything,”

Curiosity and the Initial Discovery

Alika shared about her experience first picking up coding at school when she realized she had a knack for problem solving. “Overcoming challenges, fixing problems in my code and then watching the final result made me feel empowered, like I could do anything,” she said. Isabelle, on the other hand, was inspired to pursue tech from her family of programmers, but soon developed a passion for the field by pursuing a Master in statistics after completing her undergrad in Physics, by discovering her interest in mathematics. Similarly, Anissa said “I don’t think I was destined for coding, but I loved math” when she first dabbled into coding “out of the blue” because it cultivated her love for mathematics.

Impostor Syndrome in a Male Dominated Industry

Soon enough, they encountered road bumps and challenges that many women would face in tech. “Girls were separated from guys in high school when we first learned about programmable calculators. Girls were encouraged to “try” and “play” with it while it was assumed that guys already knew it,” Isabelle said. Alika and Anissa experienced similar obstacles. “Having 10 girls and 200 guys in a classroom, it was the first time I’ve experienced sexism. They made us feel like girls only had good grades because we were girls, not because we were good at doing what we did. I felt like an impostor. When I did my first internship, I’ve heard people tell me “You’re a girl, you’ll find a job easily” making me wonder whether I belonged here,” says Anissa. Similarly, Isabelle mentioned “I struggled differentiating what was part of my actual personality VS what was expected of me.” "Some days I would feel anxious about standing out, realizing I am the only girl in the room. You become hyper aware of the way you look, you dress, you talk, because it's different from everyone else. As much as I want to be authentically myself, it's not every day that I have the energy to stand out this much,” says Alika.

“Having a strong support group with people at the same level or higher level introduces role models and mentors who have likely encountered similar challenges as me. They have guided me to find solutions and allowed me to advocate for myself.”

Moving Forward: The Importance of Allyship and an Inclusive Culture

It is important to recognize that the tech industry will remain an ever-evolving space as we continue to break down the barriers of entry to include all communities. Creating a network of allies within TouchTunes and offering a platform for women in tech to build this community either formally or informally makes the whole difference. “I’ve had male coworkers come to me who acknowledged the struggles that women face and made space to listen and express their support. It made me feel heard, seen and appreciated. It made me realize that even though sometimes I’m the only girl in the room, I’m not alone.” says Alika. Isabelle also raised the importance of having allies of all diverse backgrounds “having a strong support group with people at the same level or higher level introduces role models and mentors who have likely encountered similar challenges as me. They have guided me to find solutions and allowed me to advocate for myself.”

Anissa concludes with some words of encouragement. “Being a woman in the tech industry sure comes with its challenges, but there are also a lot of cool things to learn and opportunities to grow. Doing this makes me happy. The impostor syndrome will be hard to cure. This is why we need a space where our opinions can be trusted. The more you speak, the more you will unlock opportunities to do things and the more you realize you are able to do these things.”