Women should play a bigger role in future when technology will reign supreme

Monalisa Samal, SVP, of Data & Risk Analytics - Xceedance

“In my view, there are 3 key reasons why India still lacks women leaders in the technology field. First, there is a perception that women in the field need to be “super women” who are expected to keep everyone happy, not just at work but also as a mother, wife, and daughter. This is visible in offices when it comes to creativity or fun activities, where women are typically expected to take charge. At home, it comes with expectations to be present and always engaged. As women professionals, we must wear many hats outside of our core work responsibility, and balancing all sides isn’t always possible.

Second, I feel from my experience that being accepted as a leader in tech can be difficult for women. This is particularly apparent when working with a team from a different domain, or working as part of a team with older, experienced, and educated male members. If there is a new challenging task the first challenge a woman faces is being accepted before the “real” work even begins.

Finally, I think we need to broaden our definition of “technology roles.” In areas where technology is a service or enablement, but might not be technology hardware or coding directly, I see a lot of women filling significant roles. Technology is unquestionably the future of the industry and women can, and should, play a much bigger role in that future.”