Is Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Overrated?

Just a few weeks ago, major American corporations made headlines for wanting to eliminate their diversity programs and drop initiatives for diversity, inclusion, and equality. In Europe, companies such as SAP are also following the "anti-woke course." The German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG) took this as an opportunity to ask members of the Women@DSAG network the following: what is the current situation regarding gender equality in the workplace? Do women in IT, an industry still dominated by men, feel disadvantaged? Or, are measures that promote gender equality overrated because equality in the labor market is already a reality? A total of 139 women from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland participated in the survey. Franziska Niebauer, a consultant for SAP IS-H at Helios Kliniken, and Anna Hartmann, the Managing Director of in4MD Service, who are both spokespersons for Women@DSAG, give their assessment of the results.

When asked how important the commitment to equal opportunities with regard to gender is to them today, 86 percent of participants answered, "More important than ever. Differences are still very noticeable in my day-to-day work." Ten percent said: "Overrated—gender equality plays no role for me in my professional context," and 4 percent said they had no personal experience with this issue. Hartmann says, "The figures clearly show that equal opportunities are still a major issue for the members of our network and that measures and programs are needed to initiate change. "After all, the situation in which women feel disadvantaged compared to their male colleagues is not something that has only existed since yesterday."

Franziska Niebauer adds: "The results are by no means surprising, yet they underscore how much work lies ahead. Against this backdrop, I find the trend of abolishing DEI programs in companies very worrying." DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The goal is to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities in the labor market, regardless of gender, origin, physical limitations, or sexual orientation. The women's survey highlights just one aspect of this.

Mindset is a decisive factor 

When asked about the greatest influences on women's success in IT environments, 27 percent of respondents cited external framework conditions. According to the respondents, existing structures and networks make it objectively more difficult for women. Ten percent say that the personal mindset is decisive and that success primarily depends on how you present and assert yourself. The majority (60 percent) say that general conditions and mindset are equally decisive for success. Three percent chose "other" and noted in the free text field that visual cues play a role in success and that stereotypes prevent women from developing the same attitude as men. "It is remarkable that the majority of respondents identified not only external factors but also their own attitudes as criteria. This means that we women can at least partially control our own success," says Hartmann. "However, we can only partially control our success because structural hurdles, existing prejudices, and outdated role models put women in a worse starting position than men," adds Niebauer. This is reflected in most of the 108 free-text responses to the question about women's working reality in the IT sector. The comments range from "you have to prove yourself twice as a woman" and "you are not taken seriously; men are listened to more" to "frequent devaluation of typically 'female' characteristics, such as emotionality." 

Working reality in the IT sector

The survey mentions that care work is still seen as the responsibility of women. At the latest, when women are absent due to parental leave, projects and management responsibilities are transferred to men. According to the survey, women's promotions often depend heavily on their superiors. There are hardly any women in higher management positions, and salaries differ greatly between men and women. "These are frightening experiences that are shared within Women@DSAG," Hartmann summarizes. "However, it is encouraging that not all responses are negative. There are also a few positive experiences." On the positive side, comments include: "Something is happening," and there is "an exchange at eye level," even though most colleagues are male. Some participants also state that their companies have diversity programs in place and that they feel they have equal rights in the workplace. (rk)

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