Women in tech: An honest conversation with Ravelin engineer Rachael Day

What is your role at Ravelin?

I am a Backend Software Engineer on the Payments Engineering team at Ravelin and have been working here since January 2023. Among other things, our team looks after Ravelin’s 3D Secure solution and Transaction Optimization product, though the Engineering team is very collaborative and everyone helps each other wherever they are needed.

How did you get started in tech?

I’ve always loved maths, but my dad studied maths and thought I might prefer something more applied and less hypothetical. I originally went to university in Southampton to study Civil Engineering.

However, during my first year, I enjoyed the programming module much more than anything actually related to Civil Engineering, so I decided to change to Computer Science. I’ve been working in tech since graduating.

What challenges do you face as a woman in tech and how have you coped with this throughout your career?

I would be lying if I said I’ve found it easy being a woman in tech or if I said it hasn’t mattered or had an affect on my career.

Like many women, I’ve experienced some kind of sexism or inappropriate behavior due to my gender both at university and at nearly every job I’ve had. Earlier in my career I accepted this behavior as normal, but over time, and by working in environments that prioritize equality, I’ve learned that this isn’t something anyone should tolerate.

A big step forward has been the shift in conversation around the more subtle biases that women may face in tech. I obviously can’t speak for all women in tech, but I can talk about some of my experiences.

The "confidence gap"

Firstly, I’m quite hesitant to apply for jobs if I don’t meet all of the criteria as I don’t want to feel underqualified or to waste anyone’s time. This “confidence gap” is a broadly discussed topic. To anyone that finds themselves in this situation, apply anyway! The worst that can happen is that you get rejected or end up in an interview cycle where you feel out of your depth. And both of these things are valuable experiences even if they don’t feel that way at the time. You can also try and get involved in hiring at your company and see if you can help make the experience more inclusive for other people.

This “confidence gap” can also continue past the interview process. I’ve had feedback in a previous job that I should speak with more confidence, regardless of if I actually believe what I’m saying. How I’ve dealt with this in the past is to try and get feedback from as wide a range of people as possible to get a more balanced picture. I try to remember that it’s important to consider feedback carefully and get what you can from it, but it’s also okay to disagree with it.

The impact of role models

I’ve also found that there are fewer examples and role models for women who might want to get into tech. I found it difficult to relate to any of the people who I saw working in tech, which made it more difficult to picture as an option for myself.

I think this is a lot of the reason why I never considered tech as an option until I had already finished my first year at university. Now that I’m further in my career, I have built a great support network of amazing female engineers through networking and previous jobs. However, I believe this situation is improving over time as more and more women get into tech, and hopefully future generations will see it as an option for themselves from a much younger age.

Internal friction

As well as the above issues, which feel more embedded in the industry itself, I’ve also had colleagues express that I was only hired due to being a woman. I’ve also experienced being interrupted and talked over by men in a way that I haven’t seen them act towards each other. It’s hard to know what to do in these situations.

If this happens and you feel comfortable raising it with HR or someone else at the company, then that’s great. However, sometimes behavior like this can be more ingrained into company culture, and it’s difficult to raise issues such as these in a company that doesn’t want to hear it. I’ve found the most pragmatic option in this case is to look for another job as soon as possible and to ask about diversity and inclusion at the interview stage.

Impact over time

For me, the greatest challenge I’ve faced being a woman in tech is that these experiences have stuck with me over time. When I have a disagreement at work (which is inevitable in software engineering), I always wonder for a moment if any part of it is rooted in unconscious bias. Along with that comes a fear of being some kind of diversity hire, or other people viewing you that way.

The key thing that’s made a difference for me is working for a company that actively supports equality and inclusion. Since I’ve been working at Ravelin, I’ve genuinely not felt treated any differently due to being a woman and I feel like I can actually bring my whole self to work.

What advice would you give to women who want to get into a male-dominated environment?

• Be optimistic: Things are improving, and by simply being present and contributing, you’re part of that change.
  
  

• Have a support network: This can be a professional or personal network. It can be very helpful to have other people in the tech industry that you can talk to in a more candid way than you may be able to talk to your colleagues.
  
  

• Don’t settle: Seek out a company that truly values diversity, and don’t be afraid to ask about their inclusion practices in interviews. Keep an eye out for any red flags and be mindful of how your interviewers interact with you and with each other. Check Glassdoor to see the experiences other people have had.

• Be prepared: Most women in tech will experience some kind of sexism or bias at some point in their career. I think I was quite naive when starting in tech. Had I been more prepared, I think I might have been better equipped to deal with these experiences when they happened.

• Don’t be put off: Ultimately, tech is an incredibly rewarding and exciting field. I’m optimistic that the challenges women face will continue to diminish, and more women will thrive in this industry.

How can companies make women in tech feel comfortable in the workplace?

• Hire more women: More representation means more role models for young women entering the field, and it helps break down the perception that tech is a male-only domain.
  
  

• Evaluate hiring practices: Ensuring job ads aren’t unintentionally biased and making the interview process inclusive is critical. Clear, open, and genuine interviews encouraging all applicants.
  

• Foster a flexible working environment: Everyone has different working preferences and personal commitments. Embrace flexible working, which helps people feel more comfortable and supported in managing both their personal and professional lives.
  

• Promote a culture of respect: Companies need to ensure their work culture actively discourages any form of discrimination. Make sure this isn’t just talk and that it’s demonstrated from leadership down, and there’s always room for people to learn and grow, which is crucial.
  

• Create educational opportunities: Regular diversity and inclusion training helps address unconscious biases. It's not about perfection but continuous improvement.

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