Meet the female tech pioneers – Page 2 of 4 – StartupSmart
Sonja Bernhardt
Founder and CEO of software development company Thoughtware.
Bernhardt was also founder of Women in Technology and co-founder of Australian Women in IT and Science, both of which encourage women to enter the tech industry.
Earlier this year Bernhardt was honoured for her contribution to the industry with a Medal of the Order of Australia and she was also inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in Silicon Valley.
What is the state of female tech entrepreneurship here and overseas?
I was just looking at an American slideshow – it says of tech start-ups founded only 4% are female founders even though 40% of small businesses are (run by) females. I imagine Australia is similar.
Are more women starting to enter the industry or is it still male dominated?
It’s still male dominated.
The most significant change I have seen in the past 10-15 years has been a decline in females studying technology and entering what I call “hardcore tech” such as programming.
There still seem to be plenty of females in softer areas of project management, change management and training but in the creation and building of technology there has been a definite reduction here in Australia and overseas.
Why do you think the tech industry is so heavily associated with males, particularly young techies?
I personally think a major factor is females tend towards seeking engaging careers where they feel they can help/assist/work with communities.
I believe that the amazing ability of technology to help and assist a wide variety of individuals and communities is not getting through – the intersection of science and technology, the positive impacts technology has and can have on health, wellbeing and life extension are not visible enough.
For example a classic I often state is this: You study medicine to become a doctor to help people when they are ill.
You study law to become a barrister to help people navigate the law. You study IT to become what, to help who and how?
That inability to succinctly state what tech is and how it helps may be a fundamental block we need to get over.
The age old stereotypical anti-social male nerd image used to be a major issue. It is somewhat fading, but still persistent. TV and the media do not assist because when we do get female technology role models they tend to be “over-geeky”.
What would it take to change that situation?
To maximise the impact and hope for sustainable change we need to understand what is happening and at what stage of life, and implement changes then.
Extensive, statistically valid, longitudinal research shows that girls turn off technology in the middle years of school. Doesn’t that indicate that the education system and style of technology education needs to be reviewed?
What is happening then? What is causing the turn-off? Is it the education content, style, accessibility of technology, lack of visibility of female role models at that stage or other social influences?
Once someone has been turned off technology as a viable career option it gets harder and harder to convince them of the benefits because they simply are just not interested and do not get it.
I believe we ought to be looking at successful viral social media campaigns that promote female tech bloggers. Perhaps a YouTube channel dedicated to female tech entrepreneurs?
What challenges are associated with being a woman in tech?
I’m an eternal optimist and I believe most challenges can be overcome by individuals through application of rational thinking, having a healthy ego – knowing who you are, why you do what you do and why people react to you the way they do – and determination to keep getting up and moving on.
Ultimately it will vary per individual. Generically there are likely to be social isolation issues if a person is expecting a wide variety of female co-workers. How people deal with this is up to corporate cultures and individuals.
As a technology entrepreneur you can influence the culture and as an individual you can influence your ability to overcome challenges.
What tips would you give to women thinking about entering the tech industry?
Technology is a career where your ideas and creations may end up creating a wave of change around the world or having a vast impact on a small community – it takes you, your ideas and passion to make it happen.
In any career it is important to be involved in areas that map to who you are, your style, your interests and your philosophy.
Take time out to absolutely know yourself, your underlying philosophy in life and map your opportunities and career to that. Then you will love what you do, know why you are doing it and you will be able to proudly celebrate your successes.