Kern employees and their experiences
"I think that's where I belong." - Voices from women in the IT world
Gender equality is a very current topic that affects many areas of life. For example, the IT world, just like many other industries and professions, is also a male domain. A major problem here seems to still be a false image of the distribution of roles, because the first programmers in the 20th century were actually women!1 Today, unfortunately, things look very different, because only a few women choose technical courses of study or professions.
At Kern AG, 30% of our employees are currently female. However, inequalities and prejudices against the sexes have no place in our company. Rather, we challenge stereotypes, support diversity and give our employees a voice. Gender, social, regional and cultural origin play no role either in recruitment or in everyday practice. What counts is a good argument, professional performance, an ethical attitude based on liberal-democratic fundamental values, and consistent commitment to common and set goals. Kern AG is not a hierarchy-free space, but condescension is not tolerated.
We interviewed a number of women at Kern AG on the topic of "Women in the IT World" and inquired whether they had experienced or observed any gender-based condescension within the company. Here, one aspect in particular was important to all interviewees: "I certainly hope, and experience this at Kern AG as well, that there is no difference between the sexes." Rather the opposite is the case in our company: "In the preparation of decisions, in the decisions themselves, in the distribution of tasks and responsibilities, gender or, in general, origin do not play a role. Each of us has his or her individual skills that enrich us as a large team." In addition, another colleague clarifies: "Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses or characteristics and talents that are advantageous for a particular job, regardless of gender. We can always learn from each other, and that's never wrong."
Arguably, the IT world needs an alternative way of looking at things so that it can eliminate the gender gap and attract more women to technical career fields. We are convinced that more women belong in the IT world. One colleague leads by example, she studied business informatics at the BA in Bautzen, Germany: "That was really exciting, developing concepts, evaluating user guidance and user-friendliness, providing templates for the programmers. Today, of course, I'm very happy to be working in a software company. I think that's where I belong."
Although the 30% of women at Kern AG are a clear minority, respectful interaction with each other is a top priority not only as a company, but also as people: "As far as everyday work at Kern AG is concerned, as a woman I have only experienced respectful and friendly interaction, and my abilities are not underestimated here."
Regardless of gender, the focus should ultimately be on fun and passion, performance and results: "Software development combines two areas I'm passionate about: learning new languages and their logic, mastering them, and building new things."
Because as another colleague makes clear, we can all still learn a lot from each other and thus not only expand our own horizons, but also enrich the IT world: "Lifelong learning is part of it for all of us, and it's fun! I hope I can still learn and get to know a lot: technical innovations and technologies, organizational innovations (such as the use of Scrum at Kern AG), and always new and interesting people.