Why Women in Tech Must Work Twice as Hard

There still aren’t enough women in tech. And no, it’s not because we “opt out.” I’ve gone back and forth on whether to write this, because women who talk about their experiences in tech are often labeled as dramatic, difficult, or making it about gender. But silence hasn’t fixed it, so here we are. I’ve loved technology since I was young. I’ve consistently outperformed, stayed late, learned more, shipped more, and cared deeply about the work. And yet, alongside that, I’ve also experienced things in my career that have nothing to do with my skill: - Being inappropriately harassed at work - Being treated as a “distraction” instead of a contributor - Being told I’m not as capable as I think I am or that my brain is less capable because I am female - Being called a DEI hire instead of an engineer - Being asked if a parent “got me the job” - Being talked over, doubted, or underestimated, even with results to back me up None of that made me better at my job. None of that helped the team. And none of that is a rite of passage we should be normalizing. Here’s the part that matters most: This is why women leave tech. Not because they can’t do the work but because they get tired of having to prove they belong over and over again. If we want more women in tech, the call to action isn’t “encourage girls to code harder.” It’s: - Take women seriously the first time - Believe competence doesn’t have a gender - Call out inappropriate behavior when you see it - Stop assuming confidence equals arrogance when it comes from a woman - Make space where women don’t have to armor up just to do their jobs There are so many brilliant, driven, creative women who would thrive in this field if the environment didn’t quietly push them out. I’m still here because I love the work. But I want it to be better for the women coming after me so they get to focus on building, learning, and leading… not surviving. If you’re in tech, you’re part of shaping that future. Let’s do better than we did before. #WomenInTech #WomenWhoBuild #TechCulture #EngineeringLeadership #InclusiveTech #DiversityInTech #EquityInTech #RepresentationMatters #BuildBetterTeams #TechCareers #WomenInEngineering #LeadershipInTech #FutureOfWork #ChangeTheCulture

Two women have been shortlisted to meet the board for a final stage interview, alongside two male candidates. Before the meeting, the (female) CRO’s advice was: “The women need to go the extra mile, they’ll have to provide really robust examples of where they’ve done X, Y, Z, because as always, women have to work harder to get these jobs. It’s a male-dominated board, and bias does exist.” That comment really stopped me in my tracks. 😵💫 Is this just the reality of what still exists across many companies? Who should challenge this? Should it be the Founder’s responsibility to set the tone and address bias head-on at the top? Or is it still on women to “go the extra mile” to convince a male-dominated board? 🤔 My take 👉 There’s truth in what the CRO said, bias, conscious or not, still plays a part in many boardrooms. It would be naïve to pretend otherwise. But we also have to ask: why should women have to work harder to be seen as equally capable? The burden shouldn’t fall on them to overcome bias, it should fall on leadership to confront and correct it. Founders and boards set the tone for fairness. If bias is allowed to persist, it becomes part of the culture. The best leaders make sure every candidate is assessed on evidence, not assumptions. Until that becomes universal, yes... many women will continue to go the extra mile. But that should never be the expectation; it should be the exception we’re working to eliminate...

When a man speaks up, he’s confident. When a woman of color speaks up, she’s “difficult.” In tech, it’s not enough for women to do the work. We have to work twice as hard just to be seen. We’re told to “find our voice” and are then punished for using it. We’re called bossy when we lead. Rude when we disagree. Ambitious when we ask for a raise (like that’s a bad thing). Meanwhile, our male counterparts? They’re visionaries. Go-getters. Leaders. Breaking through the noise as a woman in tech isn’t just about skill. It’s about navigating bias with the precision of a chess master while still trying to win the game, and it’s exhausting. To my sisters in the industry: Your voice is powerful. Your ambition is valid. Your seat at the table isn’t a favor… it’s something you worked hard for and earned. And to the companies reading this: Stop telling us to “lean in” while moving the chair. Start recognizing strong leadership regardless of what voice it comes from.

I don't support women, because they are women. I support women, because they are great. I support women, because I see them struggling for the wrong reasons. I support women, because the data proves what I am seeing. 👉 In "The Authority Gap" Mary Ann Sieghart highlights that female Supreme Court Justices are interrupted four times more frequently than male justices. If this happens to female judges at the Supreme Court, imagine what this means for women in other professions. 👉Around 76% of high-performing women reportedly receive negative feedback from their managers compared to just 2% of high-performing men. This comes from data collected from 23,000 employees across 250 organizations (Source: Textio). 👉 Potential vs. Performance: Researchers at Harvard University analyzed data from a multinational firm and found that gender biases in performance appraisals often result in women receiving lower ratings based on past performance rather than potential. Women are often evaluated based on their past performance, while men are more likely to be evaluated based on their potential for future success. These statistics underscore the systemic biases and challenges women face even in positions of authority. Now, in many conversations, when I argue on behalf of women, I get to hear: Look at you. Woman. Mother. Refugee. You made it into rooms and sit at tables where most men don't sit. Well, if you asked my dad, he would tell you a different story. And he is right: I worked twice as hard as many male peers. I did dim my light for many years, and I still do it in certain situations, letting others present my ideas as their own. While my dad never criticized the hard work, he still challenges me on not standing up for myself. I then explain to him the dangers of doing that, the unconscious biases, that men are evaluated on potential while women on past experience. Then he says: Anahita, you go and change that for the next generation. We all have unconscious bias and a role to play in overcoming them and giving everyone a fair chance. Look in the mirror, reflect, and let's make change happen! 📸Photo Credit: Bundespräsidialamt - with my mentee Sadaf at the invitation of #President Steinmeier and DSI, advocating for the next generation.

A lesson I'm learning time and time again. Too often, women are expected to bend their comfort to make things easier and more comfortable for others. In our careers, we see this by: - Having to work late to make sure a particular project or goal gets across the line. - Being tasked with "housekeeping tasks" like planning the teambuilding activity or ensuring the dinner plans for the team are settled. - Having to prove that what we did made some astronomical organizational impact when Brad was able to launch one project and is now VP. - Being expected to wait on a promotion due to "organizational constraints," yet those organizational constraints are nowhere to be found when Brad is up for a promo. - And more Women, particularly underrepresented women, are expected to do twice as much with half the resources and support. This is a tale as old as time. Not only does it burn us out, but it ensures nothing for us. - We're not promised career advancement. - We're not given further career development. - We're not provided with additional resources or support. So all we're doing is burning our light out for the sake of others. To that I say, "no thank you." And it manifests through boundaries, which can sound like: - "Thank you for thinking of me! Right now, I’m at capacity with my current workload. I can prioritize this if we shift or delay some other projects—let me know how you’d like to proceed." - "I want to make sure I’m focusing on the priorities aligned with my role. Could we discuss whether this fits into my responsibilities or if there’s someone else better suited to handle it?" - "Housekeeping tasks are important, but I believe it would benefit the team if we rotate or share them to ensure everyone has equal bandwidth for their primary responsibilities. Could we create a system to manage this together?" 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺. What are other ways you assert your boundaries at work? Drop them in the comments! 🧡 Editor's note: Nothing against Brads! Was just thinking of a more common man's name who I often see being promoted, usually of the European-American variety. _______________________________________ ♻️ Repost to support others Have you subscribed to You Belong Here yet? https://lnkd.in/gqMquD5j

There is a specific kind of burnout that highly educated Black women carry. It’s from the constant, unspoken rule that we must be: More credentialed More prepared More articulate More composed More accomplished …just to be seen as equal. We collect degrees. We gather certifications. We over-prepare. We over-perform. We become the “go-to person.” And still, we watch people with less experience, fewer qualifications, and less output. We watch our white women counterparts, white men, and even Black men move with a level of privilege that grants access to opportunities they are not always more qualified for. They are allowed to be average. We are expected to be exceptional — as a baseline. That pressure lives in the nervous system. It shows up as: Chronic overthinking Decision fatigue Perfectionism Fear of making mistakes Constant self-monitoring Not because we lack confidence. Because we’ve been socially conditioned to know the margin for error is smaller. So we become hyper-capable. And hyper-capable women often get rewarded with… more responsibility. Not more freedom. This is why so many brilliant Black women are exhausted in roles they are overqualified for. It’s not that you don’t love your field. It’s that you’re tired of performing expertise inside systems that don’t fully honor it. This is the shift I see happening. Women who are saying: “I don’t want to prove my value anymore. I want to structure it.” “I don’t want to beg for recognition. I want to own my intellectual authority.” “I don’t want my knowledge trapped in a job description.” That’s where expert-based businesses come in. When your expertise becomes intellectual property: You decide how it’s used. You decide how it’s positioned. You decide what it’s worth. You move from being the most capable person in the room… to being the authority people seek out. That’s not just business. For many of us, it’s nervous system relief. It’s identity reclamation. It’s freedom from the quiet psychological tax of always having to be “twice as good.” Not everyone is called to that shift. But the women who are feeling it? You already know.