This episode starts with a comment on one of my LinkedIn posts. “Fix the system, not the women.”
Two years, many posts, and several phone calls later, I finally hit record. It was worth the wait.
Main Takeaways
We talk about:
How the idea of meritocracy still doesn’t apply equally,
Why “If I can do it, so can you” just isn’t true for everyone
How role models, allies, and early education can shift the system
Femke’s message is clear: women can’t fix the system alone. But together, we can build one that works for everyone.
To hear her full story, including why she believes my podcast should be in Dutch, listen to episode 113 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Episode Highlights and Timecodes
02:30 Femke Brouwer's Journey into Tech
05:12 The Broken System: Gender Inequality in Tech
08:02 The Impact of Gender Roles on Men and Women
12:04 Addressing Gender Bias in Education
14:36 The Hidden Costs of Gender Inequality
17:36 Personal Experiences with Gender Bias
23:57 The Importance of Critical Mass in Leadership
27:02 Role Models and the Myth of Meritocracy
30:51 Creating Balanced Teams for Lasting Change
31:36 The Role of Language in Inclusivity
37:23 Education's Role in Attracting Women to Tech
41:45 Conversations for Change in Organizations
46:56 Diversity in Supervisory Boards
51:24 Men as Allies in the Fight for Equality
53:47 The Path to Inclusion in Tech by 2032
Magic Moments In The Episode
Magic moments are the ones that reframe how you see the problem. And the solution. Here are three of those moments in this episode.
“[As a woman] You’re operating in an unequal field. And that’s important to understand.”
This line cuts through the noise. Femke reminds us that when women in tech feel overlooked or undervalued, it’s not because they’re not doing enough. It’s because the playing field is still tilted. Awareness of that reality is the first step toward meaningful change.
“If we show girls from an early age how fun, creative and meaningful tech can be, they’re more likely to see it as something for them too.”
The tech pipeline problem doesn’t start at graduation but in childhood. Femke makes the case for early, joyful exposure to tech, long before biases take hold. Because belonging begins with being able to imagine yourself in the picture.
“It’s not taking something away from men. It’s about creating a system where everyone has a fair chance to thrive.”
This is the heart of the episode. Inclusion is not a loss for one group. It’s a gain for all. Femke brings it back to shared benefit. A system that works better when it works for everyone.
Know someone who still believes inclusion in tech is a zero-sum game? Share this post to help them change their perspective.
The Path to Making Inclusion In Tech the New Normal
If you’re looking for a grounded roadmap for real change, this episode offers one. Here’s what stood out in Femke’s vision for what it takes.
She said we need to stop treating inclusion as a side project. It should be part of how we design our teams, our tech, and our businesses from the start.
That means fixing structural problems like pay gaps and hiring bias. It means broadening the image of tech beyond coding, and reaching girls early, before they’ve decided tech isn’t for them.
It also means changing what leadership looks like. Not just adding a few women to the table, but making space for enough diverse voices to actually shift the culture. As she reminded me, research shows you need at least 30 percent representation to move the needle.
And we won’t get there without allies. Especially men in leadership, who still shape the rules and culture of tech companies every day.
What would you add to this path to making inclusion the new normal in tech? Let me know in the comments.
My Personal Observations About the Episode
This episode started with a LinkedIn comment Femke made two years ago: “We need to fix the system, not the women.” That stayed with me.
So did another moment in our conversation. Femke called out the assumption that underpins a lot of storytelling in this space: “If I can do it, so can you.” That’s not always true. The system doesn’t give everyone the same shot. And hearing that from someone who did make it mattered.
One more thing. We also talked about language, how doing this episode in English might make it less accessible to many Dutch women, especially those from vocational education backgrounds. It’s something I’m aware of, even though English is a deliberate choice as the language for the podcast.
Coming up on Women Disrupting Tech
What if we could change the way we think about money, risk, and self-worth?
Catrine Rhenberg believes we can, by reprogramming the subconscious beliefs that hold us back.
In Episode 114, she shares how The Wealth Within Her helps women stop asking for permission and start owning their definition of success.
In this clip from the episode, Catrine reflects on how often we reward the person who speaks up first or loudest — even if what they’re saying isn’t necessarily the most valuable.
So stay tuned for this and much more on Women Disrupting Tech. And until the next episode: Keep Being Awesome!
Dirkjan
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