How we make space for women in tech — and why it works
In the tech sector, women remain underrepresented. Not because there aren’t enough talented women — but because the way we talk about tech work, recruit for it, and shape our workplaces still filters them out.
At Phished, we’ve been working to change that. Not with slogans or quotas, but with structure. We’ve built a company culture that attracts women, removes barriers, offers consistent coaching and support, and helps them grow. This is how we do it.
Attract — by making women in tech visible, accessible and taken seriously
If you want more women in tech, they need to see women in tech. Not just on the website, but on real teams, in real roles. At Phished, many of our strongest tech, content, and strategic profiles are women. Some of them arrived with traditional STEM backgrounds; others came from psychology, law, languages, and history.
What they have in common isn’t a degree: it’s a mindset.
We attract people who value ownership, not job titles. Who want to understand themselves better and go out of their comfort zone. People who are willing to think hard, say what’s true, and grow.
Remove barriers — especially for women who don’t see themselves as “technical”
Women read vacancies in a different manner. They are very critical of themselves and have a tendency to withdraw and think ‘this is not for me’. So we try to read our vacancies with the same lens. Would I think I belong here? Would I recognize myself in this role?
Then we do something else: we involve other women in the recruitment process. They act as a role model and can talk about real doubts. They tell the truth about what it’s like to work here. That helps candidates make real decisions that are grounded in reality. Because we don’t want merely to hire; we want to start a long term engagement.
The first three months — fast track, not freefall
Onboarding matters. That’s why we’ve built ours to be fast, clear and hands-on.
New team members go through a structured Notion-based process, with a full overview of how we work and how they can contribute. They upskill quickly. They reskill if needed. And they always know who they can go to if they need help. We have a ‘helping is helping’ culture. In Phished terms, this means: ‘Don’t just talk, do something! Help concretely, do something, give the example.’
Once on board, we offer support, flexibility ... and a female buddy
We don’t call Phished a family. We’re a team — and every good team supports its people.
That includes flexible hours and flexible leave. It includes direct feedback but also care. And yes, it includes something as simple and practical as assigning a female buddy to every new woman who joins us.
Because no matter how open a culture is, being the only woman in a room still feels different. We don’t pretend that difference doesn’t exist, but make space for it.
Growth — real impact, real decisions, real leadership
Growth at Phished doesn’t mean climbing a ladder. It means taking responsibility. Saying what needs to be said. Joining conversations outside your department because you see something that matters and that you want to address.
The women that have this mindset, are central to how we design products, shape strategy, and make decisions, even when that work happens far beyond their formal role.
In short, we expect people to grow, and we give them the room to do it.
So this is how we do it: we remove barriers, set clear expectations, and offer the kind of support that helps people grow. We take our people seriously, because their work matters. Not everyone chooses this path, but the women who do, often stay with us for a long time.
