Women In Tech Have Advantage When It Comes to Online Jobs

It’s no secret that the number of men working in technology careers far outnumbers women who are doing the same. And even though the amount of available technology jobs is increasing significantly, women are still trailing behind men in the race to snatching up these tech opportunities. While it’s true that they make up just a little over one-fourth of the science, tech, engineering and math (STEM) workforce, brilliant female minds have also introduced the world to some of the most innovative technological inventions and advances in history. And now, thanks to a plethora of online jobs to pick from, women can hold their own in the tech workforce while embracing more flexibility and greater work-life balance.

A big high five to the technology-driven companies large and small that are finally taking notice of the need for tech-savvy ladies in the workplace. These businesses are offering amazing opportunities to women who want to work from home, but still stay competitive in the tech sector. No longer do mothers need to give up their promising technology careers in order to have a significant presence in their children’s lives. Many working mothers simply experience too much unwanted stress when trying to juggle time spent between their family and work lives, so they end up abandoning their careers for a more domestic lifestyle.

In her best-selling book, Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg addresses this unfortunate trend, stating that a whopping 43 percent of women with children who are highly-qualified for the tech workforce will leave their full-time careers because they feel dissatisfied when it comes to meeting demands of both a quality family life and a fulfilling career. What a shame it is to imagine the tech industry without an Sheryl Sandberg or a Marissa Mayer; the business world needs more of these women, not less.

The good news is that women in tech are optimistic about changing this trend. A recent global survey conducted on Elance, shows that women are downright giddy about emerging online career opportunities in technological fields. Of the 7,000-plus freelancers who took the survey, 80 percent of women said they’re optimistic about the future of tech professions, with 70 percent saying that online tech work is helping them to advance socioeconomically. You can see the full infographic here.

This optimistic outlook isn’t necessarily naive, either. Here at PayScale, we recently reported that 45 percent of the MIT student body is female, giving this school the highest female-to-male ROI ratio of any engineering school. If more universities and colleges start closing the gender gap, just think about how high women could rank when it comes to STEM job placement in the future. And with the new emergence of a video game developer badge to Girl Scouts of America, women younger and younger are being introduced to the wonderful world of STEM careers.

Want a job in online tech? Here’s some brain food for you: Stay ahead of the game when it comes to your digital copywriting, social media, web design or web applications development skills and you’ll be golden, girl.