For the first time, a study has asked Australian female tech entrepreneurs about what they believe are the greatest factors holding them back.
What is standing in their way?
The study, conducted by Terem Technologies busts some of the myths that have become conventional wisdom in the space.
The research found that contrary to conventional wisdom, female tech entrepreneurs are not allowing a lack of STEM training to get in their way:
- Only 19 per cent of female entrepreneurs have a STEM background and of these only 4 per cent had a computer science background
- 41 per cent had a degree in Business, Commerce or Economics
- 64 per cent were managing teams to deliver on the technical execution of their start-up, with 50 per cent outsourcing to developers and 14 per cent employing tech talent.
However Australian female tech entrepreneurs feel that there are still many hurdles to overcome:
- 34 per cent named a perceived lack of expertise and 30 per cent a lack of confidence as factors preventing women from embarking on a tech start-up
- 27 per cent pointed to a lack of supportive networks
- 27 per cent also believe attitudes to risk play a large role
- 25 per cent highlighted life choices and 14 per cent pointed to family responsibility as factors holding women back.
“The results paint a very mixed picture for women entering the tech startup space,” says Scott Middleton, CEO of Terem Technologies, “It is encouraging to see that you don’t need STEM to lead and create businesses in the technology sector.
“It’s also exciting to think that we don’t need to wait for education policy to increase the number of women studying maths and science to see a significant boost in the number of female tech entrepreneurs,” he added.
You can download the report Against All Odds: The Unexpected Paths of Female Tech Entrepreneurs here.
