Iti Tyagi, Software Designer on the Gender Pay Gap

1. Tell us about yourself & what led you to be an advocate for Gender Pay Gap:

My name is Iti Tyagi and I am working as a Software Designer for a Healthcare firm – I currently reside in the remote site of the Netherlands. In my career span of 11 years, I have worked with one of the biggest giants in Technology, in various domains ranging from Banking, Capital Markets, Gaming, and Consulting. As of now, I am serving a European Automotive firm for their electric car.

I can very easily say that I haven’t come across many women who work in this domain. There clearly is a reason for less Benchmarking data for women in Technology – there are also fewer options for women to really understand what are their capabilities and what they should be valued for. What is the pay scale they should be targeting since it is the prevalent mindset that she solely can be the bread earner for the family? It is assumed that she is married or is attached to a support system back at home (which is so untrue for most of the females in Eastern Countries, as things are now changing drastically).

You are given a task which is categorized as manual, which requires less follow-up. Facing these issues almost every day has really awakened me to also draw a conclusion that there might be many others in the same mindset. As a woman, we do not expect to change things drastically; things will change on their own if we will start making these small steps of putting our point across when needed.

 

2. Help us understand why Gender Pay Gap is important:

Minimising the Gender Pay Gap brings fairness. It adds a more realistic human factor in the workplace. It allows the work to be more general, which in turn allows people to grow to their full potential. Without Gender balance, all tasks will be too theoretical. Without women in the picture, it would not make sense to make plans and new regulations at the workplace. Being assertive will be targeted as being aggressive, and hard work which leads to a promotion will be taken as a privilege of being the less prominent gender in the workplace. Minimising Gender Pay Gap allows more visibility for all the Genders.

 

3. How should tech change to address this:

Advocate more women to take up the roles and allow more and more training for Gender equalities. Take this issue as a priority. Train women in sectors which are termed as male-dominant. Have an open mind for Gender Equality. Gender Equality does not mean undervaluing another gender, but it applies to both Genders. Sometimes, the workplace has more workload as they lack gender balance to shift the role to those who can be (or who are) naturally good in it. Have more Mentors to support peers in the challenges they face. Allow people to be vocal about these issues.

 

4. How can others get involved?

Articles addressing this issue, discussion over the pay gap, should be advocated more and more. Spread awareness among women in general. Most of the time, females are themselves unaware of the fact that they are being underpaid. Technology and Social leaders should encourage women and men to be treated equally when it comes to valuing their efforts. Do not confuse Anatomical differences as a reason for one being paid less and others being considered overly paid. Most of the time, people confuse Gender Equality as physical equality too – there are biological factors involved as well. You must not discourage females and make them feel guilty if they have to take rest for one or two days. If one works required hours, pay them accordingly. The best way to be involved is to be the voice. Be the change. Do not plan big things – take a small step and make it big.