The problem of the 'brogrammer' culture: "The female gaze is being excluded from the technological solutions that are going to shape the future"

If in the general work environment women face greater difficulties than their male counterparts to obtain a salary increase and to reach a higher position, in the technological sector, in particular, the trend is accentuated.

The non-profit organization Digital Fems has presented this Tuesday at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica the report

, the first on this matter in our country, which compiles the ideas and perceptions of 488 surveyed women.

According to the data it collects, 56.3% of women dedicated to technology in Spain believe or have the perception that they have not found the same opportunities to access positions of greater responsibility than their male colleagues. .

Technologists continue to be a minority and the culture of the

(macho programmer) continues to be very present in the sector.

Despite this, the data obtained shows that 78.2% of the technologists feel capable or very capable of facing complex technological developments: "They have a strong conception of their technical knowledge and security regarding their domain in

(hard skills or the skills and technical knowledge that are acquired)”, the report states.

Thais Ruiz de Alda, one of the researchers in charge of the analysis and founder of Digital Fems, has defended that women who work in this sector "feel empowered", but has also verified that the impostor syndrome continues to play a role in the trajectory of the professionals.

Presentation of the report Women Technologists in Spain in the Espacio Fundación Telefónica.Clara Rebollo

Added to this is the lack of support in their professional career: 3.1% have come to abandon their technical role or directly leave the technology sector and 47.1% have resigned at least once from their technical job for not have had support in their evolution.

"This lack of support is characterized by the absence of professional promotion, by the lack of equality policies or by the non-raise of salary," the text shows.

48% of technologists have been promoted in the last year, but one in five has not received economic or salary compensation for it.

According to the World Economic Forum, the gender wage gap in Spain reaches 28%.

Of the respondents who have been with their current company for more than two years, almost 24% have never received any type of promotion.

"We cannot afford the luxury of not promoting women," defends Ruiz de Alda.

The presentation of the results was followed by a debate between various professionals related to the technology sector, all of them women.

Patricia Horrillo, founder of Wikiesfera, has declared: "Women have been distanced from the world of programming (...) and the direction we are taking is not one of change".

The activist and musician Rocío Saiz has defended that it is necessary to be "realistic, the future is technological and, if women do not exist in that future, we will continue to be excluded", to which Silvia Ocaña, moderator of the debate and director of

has added: "The female gaze is being excluded from the technological solutions that are going to shape the future."

Almost 60% of the technologists surveyed ensure that in the last three years there has been no change in diversity policies in their corporate environment, and 56.3% acknowledge that either they do not exist or are not aware of their existence in their company or organization of a department or person responsible for ensuring compliance with equality, diversity and inclusion policies.

With regard to sexual harassment in the workplace, the figures are also worrying: 22.7% affirm that throughout their professional life they have suffered or suffered a situation of sexual harassment and 5% have refrained from answer.

According to the organization responsible for the study, "in masculinized sectors (such as technology) it is more common for this type of attitude to flourish."

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