From creating a website to programming the launch of a rocket into space, coding has become an essential skill in every sector. In an increasingly automated world, coding is used by automobile, manufacturing, supply chain industries, and even in the fields of cinema and the liberal arts.
The number of women coders emerging in various fields is on the rise. Industry experts estimate that they form 24% of the workforce.
Ramathreya K, Business Head, TechGig, an IT learning platform, attributes the main reason for fewer women taking up coding in the past as lack of role models. “There were not many women in the technology world, and particularly in the leadership positions or at mentor levels. Stereotypes are another reason there are fewer women programmers.” That perception, however, is changing. Varsha Prabhu, a 22-year-old city-based software development engineer, recently won the TechGig Geek Goddess — one of India’s largest women-only coding festival — which saw 68,000 participants when it was held in Bengaluru earlier this month. Speaking about the difficulties about being a women coder, she said that though she herself had not faced any prejudices in her job, she had seen other women go through it. “I think being assertive and having confidence in yourself in all situations helps. This definitely requires support not only from other women, but from men as well.”
Bengaluru has seen an increasing number of women participating in technology and leadership initiatives, said Shwetha Lakshman Rao, city director, Women Who Code (WWC)- Bangalore chapter. “Organisations have realised the importance of women coders and have come up with women-friendly policies in the workplace. Companies such as VMware, for instance, offer their employees a 150% referral bonus for every successful female candidate,” said Ms. Rao.
