Women in Tech in Asia

In this current climate, it is still difficult for women to be seen as equal to men in the working world. The technology industry, specifically is highly male dominated with the majority of tech startup CEO’s being run by men. If we compare the western, developed countries with Asian, emerging climates there are significant differences.

Thailand is a very dynamic and forward thinking country with a hard working female work force at its heart. This has been encouraged by well developed educational and entrepreneurial foundations that enables women to build up their confidence and develop a business minded outlook.

For other Asian countries, however the roles for women and men are still very traditional with cultural norms limiting women’s potential. Asia and the West have always been drastically different, culturally, religiously and in the way business is conducted. Western women are definitely more liberated and are making their mark in the business and tech industry.

If we take Silicon Valley for example, the ratio of men to women working in the tech and entrepreneurial field is definitely closing and becoming a more equal playing field. New generations emerging such as generation Y is producing more female programmers, scientists, strong entrepreneurs, product designers, user designers

and tech savvy females that are making complete transformations in all aspects of the tech industry and the female entrepreneur game.

To complete the bridging of the west and east with a goal of reaching equilibrium between the sexes, startups hold the key by making sure they hire both females and males in order to give a variety and depth to the workforce skill set.

Currently the west’s biggest technology firms have cultivated diverse programs that support women in tech. Microsoft has extended its initiatives to include helping women returning to work who may have paused their careers for certain reasons. Google has partnered with the Tech-makers program for example to provide a series of global events which provide stability, networking and community for tech driven females.

With such a heavy influence in business and industries, Google and Microsoft are the key driving forces globally for providing positive initiatives for females. Asia would like to see more collaborations with governments, academics and private sectors who are actively supporting and encouraging females and are consistently encouraging networking with the corporate giants like Google and Microsoft to create a unified tech industry.

Techsauce, an ecosystem and startup platform based in Asia, is a real advocate for encouraging the development of females in the tech industry. The keys for women entering the tech industry is having a strong creative skill set and inner confidence. We have devised our very own strategic survey to collect data and feedback from organisations and companies to ask what obstacles women are facing in the tech industry, specifically in Thailand.

This data allows for the industry and companies to assess how females are progressing and to implement new strategies or alleviate barriers that females may come up against as they progress in their careers and move up into higher ranks of management, which are still male dominated, including unequal pay.

This is a move that other companies should do in order to recognise what females are going through and how best to support them. Each country in the world is different and will produce data that will highlight the differences between cultures, workforce mentality and how women are treated.

For Asia, specifically, The Techsauce Global Summit is the perfect platform for startups globally to connect with investors and integrate females with influential role models.

Within Thailand, we have really progressed with Female CEOs making their mark. SEA, South East Asia’s internet company focuses on creating better lives for their consumers and small businesses within the Technology field has appointed Nok Maeerut Anulomsombut as their CEO.

Working her way up from middle management positions to CEO while holding an M.B.A degree from Stanford University from the school of Business and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand shows that things in Asia are moving in the right direction.

If we look at the investment landscape and in particular, Venture Capitalists, it is still extremely male dominated. With startups still being run by men, venture capitalists are more inclined to invest in men as the traditional business format and roles still apply. Women tend to be looked on as a riskier investment, as they may be looked upon as not having enough grit or staying power that the tech and entrepreneurship game demands. In time, more female venture capitalist will emerge with a keen eye for investing in female CEOs and entrepreneurs which will really encourage financial stability in females.

For the future, it’s crucial for conferences and platforms to keep expanding and growing with a global, dynamic female focused mindset. Startups should keep a very open mind and unbiased focus with employment to keep the skill set equal that both men and women bring to organisations, enabling women to gain real experience, boost confidence and opportunities which will eventually push for a unified business landscape.