What do you think are the biggest obstacles that a woman working in the technology sector faces? And with respect to your professional career, what have been yours (if any)?  

Speaking for the broader sector I would say that women mostly lack role models in high/leading positions. Very few CEO or directors are females and there is a disconnection of paths from managerial roles to the top. Subsequently, the gender pay gap is unequally varying for multiple positions. It makes me sad to see women not confident to ask what they are worth by their work efforts. Besides that, both in academia and industry, women are constantly under the microscope of proving the quality of their technical skills to evident their position. I do recall cases where people would joke that I received an award because I am a woman. This brings us to another social concern of receiving such behaviors as the norm. 

From your experience /surroundings do you think a woman can balance her work-personal life without compromising her career and could you say that that is the same for men having the same job position? 

Ι believe that the nature of tech jobs encourages good conditions for work/life balance. Concepts as remote working, flexible working hours, paternity/maternity leave (where applicable) , social events support a good lifestyle. Also, I want to believe that overworking in tech is commonly acknowledged to result in burden and inefficiency and should be avoided. For a young professional with no family, I would say that it is the same situation for a male colleague at a similar life stage.

From your knowledge by growing up and attending school in Cyprus do you feel that pursuing a career /studies in STEM was promoted equally for girls and boys ? if no, what do you think could be improved?

Growing up in Cyprus I personally feel that I had the right support to pursue studies in STEM. The education system fairly enabled boys and girls to study science modules, however that does not reflect the overall society stereotypes. Engineering positions are mostly dominated by men and social media promotes males on computer science related roles. I am a big believer that change comes through primary education. In our case we need to change the perception of the society at a professional level. Programs in business to promote the advancement of diverse environments and support minorities at the work environment would be a good start.

Do you believe that all women irrespective of their background (ethnic, social, sexual) are represented in the tech industry or do you witness a diversity gap?

Technology leaders recognise the importance of developing inclusive cultures at their core. Unfortunately, racial minorities still rank as a low percentage of employees. The extreme geographic concentrations of tech companies in Europe and the US, limit industries’ ability to connect with, recruit and retain talent from a wider pool. Focusing on startups, from their early stages of operation there is space to implement clear diversity representation, equality and inclusion (DEI) goals, and a comprehensive approach to achieve those. Moreover, it is important to invest in talent search across different countries and educational backgrounds. Last but not least, retaining employees in healthy and supportive work environments with access to well-being, coaching, employees groups, and other programs is a way forward. There is opportunity for diversity in tech and policy and we must all make a commitment to getting there.