Yes, You're Technical
In our industry, there’s a subtle — but pervasive — bias that continues to affect women. Whether it’s in meetings, code reviews, or leadership discussions, women in technical roles are often subject to assumptions that they’re “not quite technical enough.” This bias isn’t always overt. It’s in the surprised look you get when you offer a deeply technical solution. It’s in the follow-up questions that probe your understanding of a concept you’ve already explained. It’s in the way technical conversations are sometimes steered around you, as though you might not quite get it. Sometimes, it’s simply in people taking credit to your ideas. In interviews, the rejection reason might be ‘you were not technical enough’. Sometimes, we internalize this vague feedback, but here’s the truth - you are technical, and you’re probably an excellent technical leader.
Redefining Technical Leadership
Being a technical leader isn’t about writing code every day. It’s about understanding the core concepts of your domain, communicating clearly, and enabling your team to thrive. A technical leader knows how to:
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Understand the language of engineering – APIs, architecture diagrams, data models, deployment pipelines.
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Make space for innovation – advocating for long-term engineering bets, not just quick wins.
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Bridge the gap between business and technology – explaining technical trade-offs in business terms and influencing strategic decisions.
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Prioritize high value activities - while it’s fun to get sucked in to solve a problem in the code, knowing to manage your time well is a rare leadership skill.
These are skills that go far beyond “just coding.” They make the difference between a functional team and a thriving, innovative one.
Tips for Navigating Bias
While the onus should never be on us to “prove ourselves,” there are ways to counteract bias and make your technical expertise unmistakable.
✅ Learn and speak the language. Understand key concepts in your field — not because you need to defend yourself, but because it equips you to engage confidently. Go through some system design interviews walkthroughs, even if you’re not currently interviewing.
✅ Showcase the Why. When you talk about your work, highlight the impact: how this solution reduces latency, how this architecture enables scale, how this feature meets a business goal. Explain the parameters for your thought process - scalability, maintenance, deployment speed etc.
✅ Don’t downplay your expertise. It’s easier to use softer language (“I think,” “I might be wrong, but…”). Resist that urge. State your insights with confidence; we know you’ll own your mistakes if you made any.
✅ Amplify other women’s voices. When you notice a colleague’s technical point being overlooked, dismissed or hijacked, back them up. This creates a culture where technical contributions are recognized, regardless of gender.
In the end, “technical” is not a binary. It’s a spectrum of knowledge, context, influence, and leadership. We can help you fight this bias and establish yourself as the technical leader that you are.