Breaking Barriers: Why Women's Representation in Tech Matters

April 5, 2025 – Manila – In celebration of Women’s Month, AWS Cloud Club - Adamson University hosted FalCat in Her BuildHer’s Era, their first event dedicated to empowering women in tech and addressing the industry's ongoing gender gap. With support from AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines, AWS Cloud Clubs from Archer’s, PUP, and Haribon, and sponsors KakaComputer and Tutorials Dojo, the event combined inspiring speaker sessions and an innovative ideathon to foster dialogue, drive solutions, and build a stronger, more inclusive tech community. In today's tech industry, where gender diversity remains a challenge, creating supportive communities and visible pathways for success has never been more important. Speaker Insights: Voices from the Field The first speaker of the day was Uriel Alonso, Cloud Applications Specialist at Apper Cloud Labs and Community Leader of AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines. Uriel focused on the critical role of representation in the tech industry, especially in the technology field that remains predominantly male. She emphasized how visibility, inclusivity, and access to opportunities can encourage women and gender-diverse individuals to pursue technology careers. Following was Maxine Ileto, IT Manager and Data Engineer at Procter & Gamble, who shared her personal tech journey. Maxine took the audience through her early internships and the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Her honest stories about navigating microaggressions and impostor syndrome while building technical expertise resonated with many attendees. The speaker session concluded with insights from Enrica Dio, researcher, scholar, and Captain of AWS Archer's Cloud Club. She shared her journey through hackathons and provided practical tips for those interested in participating in similar events. Her advice on team formation, rapid prototyping, and effective pitching prepared everyone for the afternoon challenge. The Current State: Understanding the Representation Gap Despite decades of progress, technology remains one of the most gender-imbalanced professional fields. Recent industry data shows women hold less than 25% of technical roles in major tech companies, with even lower representation in leadership positions. For women of color and those from other underrepresented groups, these numbers drop even further. This disparity isn't just a matter of statistics—it represents missed opportunities for innovation, problem-solving, and comprehensive product development that serve diverse user bases. Why Representation Matters: Beyond Numbers Representation in tech isn't simply about achieving balanced percentages; it's about creating an industry that benefits from the full spectrum of human talent and perspective. When technology is developed by diverse teams, it better serves diverse users. Representation is crucial in the tech industry for several reasons: Inspiration and Motivation: Seeing individuals who look like you in positions of power sends a powerful message that YOU TOO can achieve success. This inspires people to pursue careers in tech and motivates them to push beyond perceived limits. Validation and Belonging: Representation validates identities and creates a sense of belonging. It helps individuals feel accepted and valued in their workplaces. Safety and Inclusion: Adequate representation ensures that diverse voices are heard and valued, creating safer spaces where everyone feels they belong. Innovation and Business Success: Diverse representation brings unique perspectives, enhancing innovation and problem-solving. Unlocking Potential: Representation unlocks human potential by revealing undiscovered talent and encouraging people to pursue opportunities they might otherwise feel are out of reach. Addressing the Representation Gap The challenge of increasing women's representation in technology requires multi-faceted solutions operating at different levels of the ecosystem. As I've discussed during my talk, here are some effective ways to bridge this gap: Mentorship & Allyship Strong mentors provide guidance, confidence-building, and valuable network connections Effective allies amplify women's voices and actively challenge workplace biases Tech Education & Upskilling Targeted programs like scholarships and women-focused tech communities break down educational barriers Hands-on training opportunities and certification pathways create accessible entry points Inclusive Workplace Culture Family-friendly policies, including flexible work arrangements support retention Unbiased hiring practices and transparent promotion structures ensure fair advancement Zero-tolerance policies for discrimination create psychological safety Innovation in Action: The Ideathon The second half of the event transformed attendees from listeners to creators through an ideathon centered on the theme: ""Bri

May 7, 2025 - 12:46

Breaking Barriers: Why Women's Representation in Tech Matters

April 5, 2025 – Manila – In celebration of Women’s Month, AWS Cloud Club - Adamson University hosted FalCat in Her BuildHer’s Era, their first event dedicated to empowering women in tech and addressing the industry's ongoing gender gap. With support from AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines, AWS Cloud Clubs from Archer’s, PUP, and Haribon, and sponsors KakaComputer and Tutorials Dojo, the event combined inspiring speaker sessions and an innovative ideathon to foster dialogue, drive solutions, and build a stronger, more inclusive tech community.

In today's tech industry, where gender diversity remains a challenge, creating supportive communities and visible pathways for success has never been more important.

Speaker Insights: Voices from the Field

The first speaker of the day was Uriel Alonso, Cloud Applications Specialist at Apper Cloud Labs and Community Leader of AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines. Uriel focused on the critical role of representation in the tech industry, especially in the technology field that remains predominantly male. She emphasized how visibility, inclusivity, and access to opportunities can encourage women and gender-diverse individuals to pursue technology careers.

Following was Maxine Ileto, IT Manager and Data Engineer at Procter & Gamble, who shared her personal tech journey. Maxine took the audience through her early internships and the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Her honest stories about navigating microaggressions and impostor syndrome while building technical expertise resonated with many attendees.

The speaker session concluded with insights from Enrica Dio, researcher, scholar, and Captain of AWS Archer's Cloud Club. She shared her journey through hackathons and provided practical tips for those interested in participating in similar events. Her advice on team formation, rapid prototyping, and effective pitching prepared everyone for the afternoon challenge.

The Current State: Understanding the Representation Gap

Despite decades of progress, technology remains one of the most gender-imbalanced professional fields. Recent industry data shows women hold less than 25% of technical roles in major tech companies, with even lower representation in leadership positions. For women of color and those from other underrepresented groups, these numbers drop even further.

This disparity isn't just a matter of statistics—it represents missed opportunities for innovation, problem-solving, and comprehensive product development that serve diverse user bases.

Why Representation Matters: Beyond Numbers

Representation in tech isn't simply about achieving balanced percentages; it's about creating an industry that benefits from the full spectrum of human talent and perspective. When technology is developed by diverse teams, it better serves diverse users.

Representation is crucial in the tech industry for several reasons:

Inspiration and Motivation: Seeing individuals who look like you in positions of power sends a powerful message that YOU TOO can achieve success. This inspires people to pursue careers in tech and motivates them to push beyond perceived limits.
Validation and Belonging: Representation validates identities and creates a sense of belonging. It helps individuals feel accepted and valued in their workplaces.
Safety and Inclusion: Adequate representation ensures that diverse voices are heard and valued, creating safer spaces where everyone feels they belong.
Innovation and Business Success: Diverse representation brings unique perspectives, enhancing innovation and problem-solving.
Unlocking Potential: Representation unlocks human potential by revealing undiscovered talent and encouraging people to pursue opportunities they might otherwise feel are out of reach.

Addressing the Representation Gap

The challenge of increasing women's representation in technology requires multi-faceted solutions operating at different levels of the ecosystem. As I've discussed during my talk, here are some effective ways to bridge this gap:

Mentorship & Allyship

Strong mentors provide guidance, confidence-building, and valuable network connections
Effective allies amplify women's voices and actively challenge workplace biases

Tech Education & Upskilling

Targeted programs like scholarships and women-focused tech communities break down educational barriers
Hands-on training opportunities and certification pathways create accessible entry points

Inclusive Workplace Culture

Family-friendly policies, including flexible work arrangements support retention
Unbiased hiring practices and transparent promotion structures ensure fair advancement
Zero-tolerance policies for discrimination create psychological safety

Innovation in Action: The Ideathon

The second half of the event transformed attendees from listeners to creators through an ideathon centered on the theme: ""Bridging the Gender Gap: Internships as Gateways to Equality."" Six diverse teams had two hours to develop and pitch tech-based solutions addressing gender disparities in early career opportunities.

Judges evaluated entries based on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and potential impact on gender equity. The competitive yet collaborative atmosphere showed how technical skills can be channeled toward solving meaningful social challenges.

Building Lasting Change

Through events like FalCat in Her BuildHer's Era, the conversation moves beyond acknowledging the problem to implementing solutions. The AWS Cloud Club - Adamson University demonstrated how student-led organizations can play a powerful role in addressing industry-wide challenges through intentional community building.

Initiatives like this coming from students themselves represent a profound shift in the landscape of tech inclusion. When young people take ownership of creating the diverse industry they want to enter, it signals a generational commitment to change that extends far beyond temporary programs or corporate policies. These student leaders aren't just participating in the conversation—they're reshaping it! Bringing fresh perspectives and urgency to issues that have persisted for too long.

About the Author:

Uriel Alonso is a Cloud Applications Specialist at Apper Cloud Labs and a key member of the Professional Services Engineering team that delivers innovative cloud solutions. Passionate about increasing representation in tech, Uriel serves as the Community Leader of AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines, where she works to create inclusive spaces and opportunities for women and gender-diverse individuals in the technology industry.

Her dual perspective as both a practitioner and advocate allows her to bridge technical excellence with community building in uniquely effective ways. Beyond her professional and advocacy work, she actively fosters a supportive and inclusive tech community, creating environments where individuals feel not only welcomed but truly empowered, valued, and inspired to grow their careers in technology.