Raiff Chat by Raiffeisen Tech #2 – About women, courage and technology

As special guests, we have a wonderful representation of women from Raiffeisen Tech: Anna Kuziemska – Delivery Manager, Ewelina Kulesza – Senior Business Analyst, Barbara Radziszewska – UX Team Leader, and Martyna Bęzel – Product Owner. We talk with our heroines about women's experiences in IT, their challenges, stereotypes, and the role they play in the industry. We explore what a career for women in technology looks like, what skills are crucial, and how the industry can become more inclusive. Our heroines also face some of the most common theses, myths, and hits that can be heard about women in technology.

Raiff Chat by Raiffeisen Tech can be found on:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0s2J9stiGhledgLt9gUmlm  (Polish version)
  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaiffeisenTechPoland/podcasts  (Polish version with English subtitles)

Klaudia Bednarczyk: Tomek, tell me, what would the world be like without women? Can you imagine it?
Tomasz Przewłocki: Well, imagining that is definitely difficult, but I also think that the role is often unclear. And I think that’s not just in technology, although here, of course. You know, I think it’s changing, but it’s still not quite where it could be.
KB: And that’s exactly what we want to talk about today, on the occasion of International Women's Day, with our heroines. We’ll talk about women’s experiences in IT, their challenges, stereotypes, and the role they play in the industry. We’ll explore what a career for women in technology looks like, what skills are crucial, and how the industry can become more inclusive. Our heroines will also confront some of the most common theses, myths, and hits you might hear about women in technology.
TP: That was part 1. We’ve greeted you, Tomek
KB: and Klaudia. You’ll hear more about women in technology from our heroines in part two. Stay tuned.

KB: Part two, our semi-final, where you will meet the heroines of today’s episode. It so happens that for this episode, we’ve invited a wonderful group of women, who hold various roles in completely different areas at Raiffeisen Tech. Since our group is once again quite large, we’ve decided to present our heroines in a different format.
TP: And today we have fantastic, fantastic heroines in the studio: Anna Kuziemska – Delivery Manager, Ewelina Kulesza – Senior Business Analyst, Barbara Radziszewska – UX Team Leader, and Martyna Bęzel – Product Owner. Welcome!
KB: Ladies, in front of you are cards, on which you will find descriptions and interesting facts about each of you. In a moment, we’ll ask you to take your card one by one, read the content, and try to guess who you are reading about. Ready?
Barbara Radziszewska: A music enthusiast, particularly the works of Chopin, whose compositions she loves to play and listen to. She has her own piano, on which she develops her passion for composing and learning jazz. Apart from music, sports are her second love – tennis is her favorite discipline. In her moments of rest, she enjoys spending time by the Baltic Sea, where she draws peace and inspiration from nature. She believes that understanding oneself and one’s emotions, as well as nurturing close relationships with family and friends, is key in life.
BR: This is Ania!
Anna Kuziemska: Full of energy and ideas, who infects others with her passion for technology. Always ready for challenges, whether related to app functionalities or physical activity. When she’s not creating, you can find her in the mountains, on the volleyball court, or on her way to the farthest corners of the world. She motivates others by loudly cheering during volleyball matches, but equally enjoys spending time dancing or playing table football. This is a description of Martyna.
AK: This is Martyna.
Martyna Bęzel: Development and acquiring new knowledge are key to her – she loves learning and discovering unknown areas, which makes working in IT a perfect fit. She has been with Raiffeisen Bank International for 13 years, and for the past 4 years, she has been co-creating Raiffeisen. When her project related to the mobile app ended, she was able to choose a new role in the company. She values logical thinking, analysis, and collaboration, but work-life balance is also very important to her. Outside of work, she focuses on staying active – walking around the city and exercising, which helps her reset. In her work, she values the openness and support of her team, and her story shows that there is a place in technology for anyone with a passion for learning and a desire for growth.MB: This is definitely about Ewelina.
Ewelina Kulesza: Basia, who has been with the company almost from the beginning, initially supporting CRM and the R-Flex project, and now she’s once again part of that team. She began her journey with UX design in 2018, but previously she worked in market research for seven years. She believes that research skills are very useful in the design process, so she always strives to test ideas with users before implementation. In her private life, she is a cat lover and a fan of Depeche Mode and classic rock.
EK: This is all Basia.
KB: Now that we’ve gotten to know each other better, we can officially say that we warmly welcome you to our episode. Since this episode is being released on the occasion of International Women's Day, tell us, what do you wish for yourselves and other women on this special day?

BR: I can start. I definitely wish all the ladies a lot of joy, satisfaction, and general happiness in life. Good, joyful, and supportive people around. Maybe also not to take life and ourselves too seriously, and to nurture peace within ourselves. Joy in small things.
AK: I would add that each of us should have the determination to pursue our dreams, the courage to discover those dreams and our own paths. Authenticity in what we do and who we are, so we aren’t afraid to express ourselves, what we think, and where we want to be. I completely agree with what Basia said about having wise people around us – inspiring people who will be with us in both the good and the difficult times. And that we should spread our wings, with those people around us helping us grow.
TP: Before we move on, let's talk a bit about the beginnings. What were your beginnings in IT?
EK: My beginnings actually started with me working as a product manager. My story is long, rich, and very winding, but one of those stages was working as a product manager, where I was also largely responsible for building new services or developing existing ones. So I had contact with IT colleagues, wrote requirements, tested solutions, and so on. Then things changed with Raiffeisen. The green order came, so Raiffeisen had to change its environment, and at that time, Ania Klimek came to me with a proposal for a business analyst role, which actually covered a lot of the things I was doing before. And that's how I ended up here.

KB: So a culmination of different situations led to you being where you are now.
EK: Definitely. A lot of it can be called a coincidence, but I also think it’s largely tied to determination and what I envisioned I’d like to do. It just all came together, and I ended up in a place that I feel suits me very well.
KB: Basia, how was it for you? Was there one decision that had the greatest impact on you being where you are today?
BR: There was a moment that comes to mind first, and I think it was the decision to pursue postgraduate studies in UX Design at SWPS. It was a very intense year of studies—well, less than a year, but very busy. And it was a turning point for me because it wasn't just a time for gaining new knowledge, but more so for meeting new people from different industries. It was a significant moment for me because it really opened my eyes to how many paths and opportunities there are. I had worked for 7 years in market research and marketing research. I was a part of that world. But that time spent in postgraduate studies really showed me the many new paths and how inspiring it was to connect with these people. And that’s when I thought, "I can do this."
TP: Why do you think there are still fewer women in IT than men? It seems that this is still the case, although maybe your perspective is different. Do you see any changes in this area?
AK: It’s true that currently, it’s estimated that we have about 20-25% women in IT in Poland. Two decades ago, it was about 10-15%. So, while it's a significant increase, it's still not enough. However, we need to remember that this proportion was once completely different. In the early 1940s and 1950s, when IT started to emerge, the work was more associated with office work. Back then, there was more diversity, and the environment was more balanced. I'm sure not everyone knows that one of the pioneers was Margaret Hamilton, who worked at NASA.
KB: We wrote about her on our blog exactly one year ago, also for Women’s Day. She was indeed a great woman. And here's the link to the article: https://www.raiffeisen-tech.com/pl/pl/blog/technologia-kobiet.html
AK: Those who read our blog probably know about her, although not everyone may have read it. I can just comment that she led the team that prepared the software responsible for the moon landing. Later, IT became more technical, more technological, and more men started to get involved in this field. This coincided with the rise of big companies, and men started to appear as leaders, who naturally promoted more men, since more men were involved. The whole structure started to change. We haven’t reached a 50/50 split yet, but I also don’t think that’s necessary. What matters is that each of us finds our place in life—both professionally and privately—where we want to be and what we want to do. And in IT itself, let's remember that it's not just about programming. As Basia mentioned, we have many different roles. There’s no need for everyone to be a programmer, but it’s important that women participate in creating software and technology. If their voices aren't heard, if they’re not visible, we won’t have an impact on what happens. If we want our lives and what surrounds us to align with our needs and desires, we need to actively participate in it, not let others do it for us.
KB: You’ve raised a lot of points in that response, and you’ve covered the topic well, but going back to the beginning for a moment—you’ve mentioned some great figures in IT, like Grace Hamilton. But do you have any other historical or living figures from the IT world that you would like to invite for coffee and chat with? Someone who inspires or motivates you?
EK: I have someone. I would love to go for coffee with Steve Jobs and ask him about his values. I wonder if he had any values that he wrote down—maybe five, ten, or fifteen. Did he even follow them? Were values important to him, or was it just something created by him or some corporation for other purposes, and in reality, he didn’t pay much attention to them? That’s what I’d like to ask him.
TP: And how do you think we can convince and inspire young women to seek their path in IT? It’s not always about programming, right? When I look at you, I see so many competencies that don’t necessarily fall into the programming side.
AK: I think the key is for each woman to not see IT as a male-dominated world focused only on programming. It’s a very diverse world. I believe that if we build curiosity from a young age, promote creativity, and don’t impose rigid, stereotypical roles on girls and boys, we’ll increase the chances of children, and later young people and adults, discovering their passions. What Basia said really resonated with me—it’s not always about postgraduate studies opening up a completely new world. Curiosity is crucial, to give ourselves the chance to try something and see if it’s for us or not. Let’s not immediately say that it’s not for us, that it’s too hard, that technology is something we don’t understand. There are so many opportunities that if someone wants to, they will definitely find something for themselves.

MB: I’d like to add that I remember from my own experience that I had no idea about the professions I later pursued. While I was in college, I had no clue that roles like business analyst or IT product owner even existed. As the girls mentioned earlier, openness is key. Often, life takes us in one direction or another. I remember that when I first had a job as a business analyst, the job offer was structured completely differently. I had applied for a data analyst position. It turned out that they needed someone totally different, but I liked it even more than what I had initially applied for. It's important not to close yourself off to options because it often turns out that what comes up can surprise us in a positive way. I'd also like to touch on one point—our organization has many roles where women are in the majority, or where the number is balanced. Of course, when it comes to programmers, there are more men, but when it comes to other roles, such as product owner, we have a really good number of women. We have business analysts, scrum masters, and many other roles with significant female representation.

KB: Mm-hm, and do you think that women’s networking groups, training programs, and mentoring programs help to recognize different perspectives and career paths, or could they make things more confusing and harder for us to choose our own path?

MB: I don't know, I’d probably go back to the idea that it’s important to stay open and not close yourself off to different options. By taking advantage of various opportunities, it's worth looking for the path within yourself—to feel what we are better at, which direction we are developing in, and where we see ourselves more. Any further training, development, and expanding horizons in a particular direction seems absolutely right to me. And once again, I’ll refer to Basia—when she went to university, she discovered how many possibilities there were. Sometimes we look for one thing, but find something completely different, but that's only possible thanks to openness.

TP: It might be controversial, but I’ll ask. Ania mentioned that the proportions are changing, and I think that’s a great trend. But did you ever have the feeling that women in IT need to be perfect to succeed? That they need to try harder, sort of?

EK: I’ll be honest, to succeed or to be respected, you need to have knowledge and be a professional. But I think that’s the case in every field—if you respect someone for their work or consider them an expert, they need to do their job very well. And there’s no division by gender here. If someone is an expert, has knowledge, enjoys what they do, and does it very well, it doesn’t matter whether they are a woman or a man—it’s equal and fair. However, if someone doesn’t apply themselves to their work, gender won’t help them. And that will certainly be noticed. No one will excuse them just because they are a man. So, in my observation, it’s very fair.

KB: Sure, and you mentioned technical competencies—do soft skills, like communication, decision-making, or multitasking, help you in your work? Have you noticed that skills often attributed to women are useful in daily duties? Of course, many men also have these skills. However, soft skills are more often associated with women.

AK: That word “attributed” is key because these skills are absolutely not exclusive to women. Emotional intelligence, communication, empathy—these are not gender-specific but individual traits, and it doesn’t matter if we are women or men. What we face is the fact that in our society, where stereotypes exist, these so-called “soft” traits are more often associated with women. But that’s absolutely wrong. Furthermore, right now, soft skills are becoming more important, even more than technical ones. Of course, knowledge and being an expert in your field are still key, but without communication skills, cooperation, conducting conversations, listening, and respecting others, it’s impossible to function effectively in today’s diverse and complex world. Without these skills, it’s impossible to work effectively or live well.    

MB: Yes, it depends on the position you hold. In my case, as a product owner, communication is key because how we speak, negotiate, and persuade is very important. Communication is necessary in every role—we have a self-organizing team, so we must have very good communication to know who is doing what, who needs help, or who wants to help if they have some extra time. Communication is really important. Of course, it depends on the role and position—in some cases, it’s more, in others less.

AK: Indeed, a few years ago, IT was different. It was associated with a man in a t-shirt sitting alone at a computer. Now, in team work, communication is key and requires emotional intelligence. As you said, Martyna, the ability to have difficult conversations, negotiate, actively listen, and understand needs—those are all essential. Often, people who give requirements don’t fully understand them, so you need to be able to dig into those needs, uncover the real problem, and understand what they actually expect. This cannot be achieved without soft skills, listening to the other person, and effective communication.

TP: Communication is fundamental in many areas of life—not just professional but also personal. Speaking of the personal aspect, like after-work activities, does life outside of work, for example, motherhood, affect your career? Or perhaps it influences a career in IT?

BR: I can speak from my own experience, as I’m a mother of two boys. Does motherhood affect my career? Probably yes, but I think that applies to any career path, not just IT. Does it negatively affect it? I don’t know; I haven’t noticed. It’s simply part of life. I’m glad I work in an organization where there is full understanding of the different roles we play. I can add that I see more and more equal distribution of responsibilities between women and men—I experience this myself, which really helps. I feel that in my home, parental duties are divided equally. I also think that IT is one of those industries that allows a particularly good balance between professional and personal life. Remote or hybrid work has become the standard, which personally helps me a lot. From my observations, this is something people in IT really appreciate because it allows them to maintain a balance between work and personal life.

KB: So what are your basic ways to maintain your work-life balance?

BR: For me, work-life balance doesn’t mean having a perfect balance between work and personal life at every moment of my life or every moment of the year. For me, balance means the ability to navigate that divide based on current needs. If I need to focus more on work at a given moment, I can do that. Then, when I have more space, I can dedicate more time to my personal life. Ultimately, in the long run, everything balances out. It’s not about having a perfect division every day, but about flexibly adjusting it to your needs. I’ve also noticed a certain cyclical nature—there are periods when work is exceptionally intense, with a lot of meetings, deadlines, or a buildup of various topics. At those times, you need to buckle up and give more. But then comes a time when you can let go, rest, and recharge. For me, that’s balance—being aware that after a period of intense effort, I can give myself permission to rest. That way, when a more demanding moment comes again, I have the energy to face it.

KB: Girls, do you have any other ways to maintain work-life balance?

MB: I try to establish a routine with regular post-work activities that I consistently do every week. For example, a workout or a movie night with friends – these are regular elements of my schedule that help me maintain mental well-being. I also really enjoy trips to the mountains. Everything in my head gets organized there. I don’t treat it as an escape from everyday life because I really enjoy my life, but in the mountains, it’s easier for me to gain some perspective. Sometimes, things that seem very important in the moment, actually aren't that significant. The mountains help me look at some issues from a different angle, let go of things that unnecessarily weigh me down, and approach them more calmly.

TP: You've shared so many great things here – I think they are very inspiring. Each of you has different experiences, which is a huge value. If you were to inspire young women and create a "starter kit" for them to begin a career in IT, what would it contain? Maybe a book, a podcast, a meeting, mentoring? Is there something you consider especially valuable based on your own experiences at the start?

EK: I think now is a great time for webinars – there are so many on different topics. It's worth starting with that and listening to what the role we’re interested in actually involves. One can also participate in webinars related to IT in general, to see what’s being discussed and whether something piques their interest. If something sparks interest, it’s worth taking the first step and trying a course – there are plenty on YouTube, as well as on various educational platforms. If it turns out that it’s something we enjoy, the next step could be to think about a more in-depth course or even postgraduate studies. After that, it’s good to actively search for an internship or a first junior-level job to see in practice if it’s truly something for us. That’s how I would do it.

BR: I would also add various events organized by universities. If I remember correctly, universities organize job fairs or open days, where presentations of different roles are given. It’s a condensed dose of knowledge. I remember UPS organizing something like this, and Warsaw University of Technology has engineering job fairs. And it's not just for students – there are no age restrictions. It’s never too late to change your career path if someone genuinely wants to try. As for the "starter kit," in my opinion, the key is the English language. Learning it is always a good idea, and especially in IT. I’m not sure if it’s always an absolute necessity, but it certainly helps and opens many doors. Moreover, most valuable educational materials are available in English.

TP: Changing the topic a bit – we just talked about the starter kit, and now I have another question. If you could have one superpower that you would use in your daily work, what would it be? Maybe reading minds? I’m thinking of Basia – we know how often such a skill would come in handy! Or maybe the ability to predict and prevent problems before they even arise? What superpower would you want to have?

EK: Reading minds would be an extremely desirable skill for me as an analyst. Of course, I realize it would require a lot of mental resilience because the human mind can contain some very different things… Especially when it comes to my own thoughts! I’d probably discover a few things I wouldn’t like. So, I would need not only the ability to read minds but also nerves of steel – two in one! So, I’ll take this superpower.

MB: I wouldn’t go for that – my mental resilience isn’t quite at the level where I’d want to read people’s minds. But I would love to have the power of persuasion – one that would make people immediately agree with my decisions. Without long explanations and arguments. That would be my dream superpower!

KB: Well, here’s the thing – whenever we talk about work and technology, the topic of stress hasn’t come up at all. No one said that working in IT is stressful, that there are tight deadlines or fast pace. Is that really how it looks for you? And if stress does appear, what are your ways of dealing with it?

EK: I think there is a lot of stress, because we do deal with various stakeholder groups and expectations. For me, planning is important – that’s the first thing. The second thing I discovered recently is doing one thing at a time. It’s a simple thing, but for me, as a woman, multitasking is in my blood. However, I found that if I do one thing at a time and then move on to the next, it’s much more effective. My mind works faster, I feel that I solve problems more efficiently, and the stress from the chaos that often accompanies doing many things at once disappears. I recommend this to Ewelina Kulesza – it’s my method.

MB: Ewelina has another great tip that I try to follow, which I got from her. When I’m afraid of something, Ewelina asks: “What’s the worst that could happen?” Then I start answering these questions, and it turns out that often there aren’t that many scary things that could happen. For example, today I wondered if I should come, and Ewelina said: “What’s the worst that could happen? Well, if you say something stupid, we’ll cut it out, or we’ll record it again.” That really helped me minimize the stress. I also have stress related to public speaking, which is why I came here today – I thought that if I do enough of these, I’ll stop stressing. That’s my method.

EK: What Martyna said also helps me. When something stresses me out and I worry too much, I think to myself: “Okay, what’s the worst that could happen?” Or I try to visualize that it’s not heart surgery. If something goes wrong, no one is going to die. Changing perspectives really helps – it’s not as scary as it seems.

AK: Yes, exactly. As long as my life is not at risk, everything else can be managed. Fighting for life is a level 10, and the other problems... I don’t know, maybe level 6 at most.

TP: I’d like to stay in the same vein of the question I asked earlier about roadmaps or starter kits for younger generations. I’d flip it a bit and ask you, what advice would you give to your younger selves from 5 years ago – to Ewelina, Basia, and Martyna?

EK: I’d tell myself: “Ewelina, you’re doing great. This is a really good text, I highly recommend it.” I’d say that to myself every day: “You’re doing great.” When you choose a path, stick with it, and if you decide to change it, change it, but first, stick with it for a while. And remember, you’re doing great. That’s what I’d tell myself.

BR: I’d tell myself, and everyone, that there will probably never be a moment when you feel fully ready or know enough to start doing something. Sometimes you just have to start, even if you don’t feel confident. The second thing is that a lot is happening in this industry. It’s a huge ocean of knowledge, opportunities, directions, and paths. It’s hard to grasp everything and be perfect at everything. There will always be something more to learn, and you have to accept that. Just do your thing and don’t feel bad about not knowing something, not having read something, or not knowing something yet. You need to get used to that and embrace this reality. That’s just how it is.

KB: How do you see the future of women in IT in 10 or 20 years? Do you think discussions about the role of women in technology will still be happening?

MB: I hope not, but I remember an event from 5, maybe even 10 years ago, when I was at an IT conference. I remember one of the organizers or a speaker noticed that the vast majority of the speakers were men. He said that it wasn’t because they only invited men, but because the women who were invited often felt unprepared to speak and present their knowledge. It was sad, because they surely had a lot of valuable things to say, but they were just afraid. So I think it’s important to be more courageous, because we have really interesting things to say, we’re doing great things, and it’s worth showing them. It’s important to feel that we are enough and to try – what’s the worst that can happen? I hope everything is going in the right direction, and that we will be braver, which will help level the playing field.

BR: I’m not sure if it’s just a matter of fear, and that women are afraid, but also that we have very high expectations of ourselves. We often set very high standards for ourselves and try to live up to them.

MB: Yes, that feeling of not being enough, that I should be doing more, working harder, better.

TP: That probably ties into what Basia just said – it’s about finding the moment when you say, “Okay, this is good enough,” and move forward, not expecting everything to be perfect. You’re doing great. Don’t worry about perfection; you’ll never achieve it.

As we approach the end of the second part of our meeting, I’d like to ask you to try to answer this question and complete the sentence: “I would like the next generation of women and…”

BR: I’ll say it – I would like the next generation of women, both in IT and other industries, to experience equal pay for equal work. That’s the change I would wish for.

TP: Before we finish the second part, I’d like to sincerely thank you on behalf of myself and, I think, everyone here. Thank you not only for agreeing to speak today but, most importantly, for your commitment and collaboration, which we share in our joint initiatives and projects. Of course, we also thank all the colleagues who couldn’t be here today. It’s a great pleasure and a very important experience to have this conversation with you on such a significant day.

KB: Thank you so much! This was part two, and now we invite you to part three – True or false?

KB: The final part of our episode, where we, along with our guests, will verify or debunk popular stories related to the role of women in technology.
TP: We have a few hits and myths for you. After reading each one, we'll ask you to tell us whether you think it’s a hit or a myth, and briefly explain your answer. I hope you're ready, so let’s get started.
TP: True or false? The IT industry is a male-dominated world. Women in IT are still seen as a minority, even though their numbers are growing in many technical fields.
AK: It's both a myth and a hit. In terms of the fact that there are more men currently, you could say it's a male-dominated world. However, the myth is that only men can work in this field, or that this distribution is ideal. In reality, working in IT should be based mainly on competencies and skills, not on the gender we represent.

KB: True or false? Women’s role in IT is limited to technical support. Women do not create innovations.
MB: In my opinion, that's a myth, because we have many positions where women are the majority. And these are not technical support positions, but roles like Scrum Master, Product Owner, or UX Designer, where there are indeed many women, sometimes even in the majority.

TP: True or false? We can observe an increase in initiatives supporting women in IT.
BR: Hit. I think this is a hit. I’m not sure how exactly we can measure it over a long period, but I definitely notice many such initiatives in recent years, so I believe it's true.

KB: True or false? Inclusivity and diversity are becoming standard in technology.
BR: Hit. I think it's more of a "yes" than a "no." We are indeed seeing more women in IT, but diversity is not just about gender. I’m also talking about other factors. I believe diversity is growing, partly because people of different ages are also finding their place in this industry. I think the IT environment is becoming more diverse.
TP: True or false? Women prefer to mimic male leadership and mentorship roles rather than build their image based on softer, feminine traits.
AK: For me, that’s a myth. First of all, the question itself contains a myth, because we talked a bit about this during the podcast recording. Competencies are not assigned to men; they are assigned to people. If a woman behaves assertively, it doesn’t mean she’s acting "masculine" – she’s simply assertive. If someone is trying to find their leadership path and looks for solutions, they may act unnaturally at first, but the key is always authenticity. For me, gender doesn’t matter – what’s important is to act in accordance with who you are.

KB: Yes, there was a time when a woman raising her voice in a meeting was seen as desperate and shaky, while a man raising his voice was perceived as a strong leader who should be listened to because he is an authority
AK: That’s right, a study was conducted a few years ago where students were presented with two descriptions of the same behaviors – in one case, it was a man’s actions, and in the other, a woman’s. The perception of the same behaviors was completely different. As you said, the same behavior by a man was seen as strong leadership, while for a woman, it was perceived differently.
KB: Exactly, that’s definitely an area we need to pay close attention to. I think it's not just a tech issue, but rather a very universal topic that appears in many industries.
AK: Exactly. But I would like to add that there is more and more talk about emotional intelligence now, and that it is a key competency for leaders. Of course, a leader should know the area they manage, but it’s these competencies related to maturity and emotional intelligence that should be developed the most. They help you be a better person, and consequently, a better leader.
KB: True, what do you think about this: Women need a strong support network to achieve professional success?
EK: I think that’s a myth. I believe that competencies, the desire to grow and improve are what matter, not gender.
KB: And finally, True or false? Women in IT need to be exceptional and talented to gain respect.
EK: I think that’s a myth. Whether you're a woman or a man, to gain respect, you need to be capable. Gender has nothing to do with it
KB: And with that very positive note, we end our meeting. Ladies, thank you so much for this conversation about experiences, the role of women, challenges, stereotypes, and the industry in general. We had Ania, Martyna, Ewelina, and Basia with us. Thank you so much!
KB: Dear listeners, thank you for being with us. If you are women listening to us, we wish you courage in pursuing your dreams, strength in overcoming difficulties and adversity, constant inspiration at different moments, and space for growth – both professional and personal. May each of you feel appreciated, but also take advantage of the support from various communities we discussed today. We wish you all the best on your journey. See you in the next episodes. Thank you so much!