Sergiy Tokarev on what hinders women from entering tech and how to fix it 

Despite the fact that the share of women in the Ukrainian tech sector is constantly increasing, the industry still faces a number of challenges that could slow down this process. This was reported by Sergiy Tokarev — a tech entrepreneur and co-founder of the Roosh investment group, which develops and scales technology businesses worldwide — in his column for Forbes.  

«When we first created Roosh in 2020, women made up 20% of all managers. It was a decent figure back then, but over four years it has nearly doubled — to 38%. This is just one example of how the Ukrainian technology sector is ceasing to be predominantly a «male» industry», — the businessman shares.  

Indeed, as noted in a DOU study, the number of female specialists in the technological field of Ukraine is continuously growing. If in 2020, among industry workers, there were 20% women, by 2023 it has already risen to 24%. More and more female specialists are emerging in technology areas: last year their share reached a record 19%. 

However, Tokarev points out that today’s trends do not mean that the tech sector will become gender-balanced in the near future. The investor lists several problems that hinder women from working in the Ukrainian technology industry:  

• War with Russia: Today, due to military actions, more and more women are moving abroad. It can be assumed that some time after migration, Ukrainian female specialists will choose local companies to work for. Furthermore, it is women who manage household and children while more and more men are being mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This burden at home can take away from Ukrainian women the resource they would like to spend on acquiring a technology education. 

• Overcrowded market: There is a lack of vacancies for trainees and juniors in the tech sector. If in 2022 there were 49 offers for front-end programmers with less than a year of experience on DOU, by 2024, that number has decreased to 12. 

• Gender stereotypes: Prejudices about women in the tech industry still exist, and some instructors may give more attention and support to male students.  

«At the same time, studies show: companies with a gender balance perform better. According to a study by the International Labour Organization, companies whose boards are gender-balanced are almost 20% more likely to achieve better business results. At Roosh, we always pay attention to the makeup of the startup team we are preparing to invest in because we know that true success lies in collaboration and diversity of experiences and perspectives», — writes Sergiy Tokarev. 

He highlights four areas in which Ukraine should work to encourage women to enter the tech sector.  

Encouraging youth. It is important to introduce young Ukrainian girls to technology: tell them more about the field, how it develops and what it influences, involve practicing professionals in educational activities.  

Mentorship. Girls who want to grow in the tech sector need support from women who have already reached heights in this field. In particular, in the educational project STEM is FEM, participants can find a mentor who will provide professional advice, guidance, and motivate them. 

Developing soft skills. The tech market requires specialists not only to know how to code. They also need to be able to communicate effectively, organize working processes, and think critically. Practical experience, complementing theoretical knowledge, is also important. All of this should be considered in Ukrainian educational programs. 

Business involvement in training personnel. Ukrainian tech companies are interested in being involved in the educational field, as this gives them the opportunity to «grow» staff for themselves. Therefore, it is important for businesses to launch internship programs for female students and young specialists. 

Sergiy Tokarev notes: gender equality is not only of interest to women but to all people. Therefore, it is important to work today on increasing the number of female experts in the tech sector.