The number of referent directives in the technological distribution channel is low. It is nothing new. One only has to take a look at any meeting between manufacturers, wholesalers or distributors to realize that women are not abundant. A reality that we have been denouncing for years, but that little by little, we are seeing in a different way. Something is changing for the better.
The distribution channel is a segment within the technology industry that already has little female penetration. Despite the fact that 55% of those enrolled in the university in Spain are women, only 29% of students in engineering careers are women. If we go to the STEM world (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the percentage drops to 13%.
We are not going to deny that there is still a long way to go, but we have already traveled a long way
The outlook is not much better outside of the classroom. Only one in three Spanish companies has a professional specialized in ICT and only 6% of organizations can say that 50% of their technological specialists are women.
In the case of sectors as specific as cybersecurity, in Spain women barely represent 14% of cybersecurity analyst positions. The figure improves a little globally and stands at 25%. The figures, obviously, are much more limited if we look at management positions.
We are getting better, but…
We are not going to deny that there is still a long way to go to see more benchmark directives, but the truth is that the evolution of the technology sector shows growth figures that give way to optimism.
There are many initiatives that are moving to promote female talent. And that is noticeable little by little.
The Women, Science and Innovation Observatory (OMCI) pointed out precisely this good trend. 47% of Spanish professionals in the technology sector have seen how their company has improved equality levels in the last two years. In addition, 62% consider that their experience and knowledge have been valued more than their gender.
Women are trained in technology today six times more than in 2020
This gradual improvement goes hand in hand with the growing interest of women in technology. Women are trained in technology today six times more than in 2020, according to IMMUNE Technology Institute, which is already a milestone in the race to make the STEM world interesting for girls and adolescents.
In more specific cases, we also found slight improvements. In segments such as cybersecurity, the presence of women has increased by 150% in the last 10 years, according to figures from LinkedIn. And this growth does not stop here. The social network specialized in work predicts that by 2025, 30% of cybersecurity professionals will be women. They will thus continue to be a minority, but with more and more representation.
However, there is always a but. Or several. And one of them is found in a Codemotion study that states that although 30% of Spanish developers would like to take on management tasks, they still perceive some discrimination when it comes to assuming roles of responsibility. So much so that compared to almost 49% of men who receive job offers above 40,000 euros, only 41% of professionals have been claimed in positions with those salary ranges.
In addition, another study “The situation of tech women” indicates that 4 out of 10 consider that their companies do not have effective work-life balance policies. Even so, the general vision is that the sector is moving in the right direction.
More and more leading directives in the IT channel
Although they are still one Rare avis, it is increasingly common to find managers at the head of wholesalers or directing the distribution channel of a manufacturer. Many proper names come to mind in Spain when a decade ago it was almost impossible to find them. Something is changing for the better.
If we look at the wholesalers we find Carmen Muñoz as CEO of Exclusive Networks or Pilar Martín, commercial director of TD SYNNEX Spain who acts as spokesperson in our country. But the examples in the senior management of wholesalers in Spain almost end here.
«The channel does not yet have a large female presence. And if we talk about managerial positions, the presence is still much less. We have improved a lot, but there is still a lot of work ahead.”summarizes Pilar Martín, commercial director TD SYNNEX.
«It is surprising that in a digitized world, technology is still seen as a man’s world»adds Carmen Muñoz, general director of Exclusive Networks in Spain.
To find other references directly related to the channel, we must look at the manufacturers’ environment where we met Rocío Vaquero, Channel Manager for Iberia de Armis; Emilia García, in charge of the SAS Iberia channel; the recently appointed head of partners at Cisco, María Herranz; or Gloria Cuesta, Channel Acount Manager of QNAP Spain. At the international level we can also refer to Kate Woolley, global director of the IBM ecosystem; Oylum Tagmac, Senior Director of Partner Management in the Commvault International region; or Rola Dagher, in charge of global partners at Dell Technologies.
As the person in charge of Commvault rightly comments, “Although gender bias has improved in recent years, it remains a problem.” To which the person in charge of Armis added:“We are far from gender parity, mainly due to three factors, the generation gap, training and stereotypes related to the technology sector.” For this reason, it is more necessary than ever to continue working on benchmark directives inside and outside the technology distribution channel to help future generations have mirrors to look at: “And I encourage young people to give a chance to professional careers oriented to the ICT sector”added Rocío Vaquero.
Professional skills to consider
Finding leading directives in the distribution channel is still complicated, but not because there are no trained women.
«Women have, we have, many leadership and communication skills. Our ability to empathize is a great help when it comes to solving problems, and this is a key element for companies», explains Pilar Martín, from TD SYNNEX. Some skills that Rocío Vaquero, from Armis complemented: «The values that we can contribute are infinite, generally women have a great organizational and analytical capacity, and we are also very decisive. Empathy and willingness to help is key in our day to day.
However, other professionals believe that there should be no difference. This is the case of Carmen Muñoz, from Exclusive Networks, who points out that “Value should be based on capabilities and not gender. The company must recognize and reward training and effort, whether male or female and, of course, adapt work models to the needs of employees».
Sandra Espinoza Ávalos, Senior Sales Engineer at Commvault concludes: “One of the biggest obstacles women face is a lack of self-confidence. Many do not believe that they can overcome the great challenges they face in management positions. With perseverance and perseverance, everything can be achieved. The sky is the limit”.
