Equity, diversity and inclusion are critical for the success of OpenText, the technology industry and society as a whole. With the adverse effects the global pandemic has had on women’s careers—according to McKinsey, women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men’s jobs—the commitment to challenging gender bias and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion is more important than ever.
This Women’s History Month, we’re proud to recognize the incredible women in tech we work with. We’ve asked some inspiring women in tech to share their insights into how we can all challenge and call out gender bias and inequality.
Celebrating women in tech
Jo Peterson
“It’s thought that 70-93% of all communication is nonverbal. If that theory is correct, the actions we take in the workplace could be even more important than the words we speak. People learn by example. The best leaders I’ve seen, both male and female, lead by example. One of the lessons I was lucky enough to learn, taught to me by a strong male advocate for women in the workplace, was to hold the door open when you walk through.
“Think about one or two things that you can do in your role today to reach back and lend a hand to someone coming up the ranks behind you. Offer to take a younger female colleague to lunch and learn about her goals. Can you help her in her journey but offering an introduction to another manager she wants to learn more about but doesn’t yet know? Are you often asked to participate in panels for women? Offer a seat at the table to an up and comer whose work you admire. Be an ally. A small ripple in a pond generates waves in a beautiful changing pattern” – Jo Peterson, VP Cloud & Security Services, Clarify360.
Jo Ann Barefoot
“One huge driver of gender inequality, and often the easiest to fix, is unconscious bias. So many people (usually but not always men) don’t consider themselves biased and don’t want to be biased but have blind spots—they don’t notice it. When I’m involved with a conference, a panel, a meeting, a board, a team, or any group that is overwhelmingly or entirely male, I just suggest diversifying it. It always works. Over time, blind spots recede” – Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO & Co-founder, Alliance for Innovative Regulation.
Madaline Zannes
“Being passionate about gender bias and inequality should not just stop at passion. It is a responsibility. One of awareness and discernment of action, as well as non-action, both socially and systemically. These observations allow for opportunities to educate others in a constructive, yet unwavering, way. My pledge is to continue to personally connect with women and lift them up, and to use my platform to share their stories as much as I can” – Madaline Zannes, Lawyer and Founder of Zannes Law.
Dr. Ann Cavoukian
“In short, you rise above it! Over the years, I have repeatedly worked with groups of men, where I have often been the only woman. I’m not kidding! I have always tried to pave the way for women to join me and have tried to hire qualified women, whenever possible. But to me, the bottom line has been to win them over and rise above it!” – Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Executive Director, Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre.
Bethany Saint Clair
“My very existence as a successful engineer and leader challenges gender bias and inequality. I choose to challenge by continuing to succeed and by reaching back to create opportunities for more women. I try to help close the representation gap by volunteering with my non-profit, Renaissance 21, to bring STEAM education to underrepresented minorities. Volunteering in one’s community for causes that help women and girls is a great way to choose to challenge for better equality.
Most of my career, I have been the first woman or first person of color that my team has worked with, and I see this as an opportunity to build bridges that forever change hearts and minds. I break down barriers by doing great work and being easy to work with. I use empathy, connection and influence to challenge bias and inequality.” – Bethany Saint Clair, Director, EDI Programs, OpenText.
Kristina Lengyel
“I #ChoosetoChallenge the stereotypes of a tech industry. By shedding the colorless hoodie and the shapeless jeans, I will be myself – a highly skilled STEM professional, a geek in any colors of the rainbow.” – Kristina Lengyel, EVP Customer Solutions, OpenText.
Learn more
Read more about OpenText’s commitment to challenging gender bias and inequity in our CEO and CTO Mark Barrenechea’s latest blog, and check out our other blogs on diversity and women in tech.
