07/03/2025
With International Women's Day around the corner, we gave the spotlight to some of our bees.
Karina Sivolap
What’s a workplace stereotype about women that you just can’t stand?
– I come from Ukraine, where the role of women is generally quite weak. While equal rights are not fully realized yet, I see some positive shifts with the newer generation. I remember how common it was to hear stereotypical comments from guys, such as, "because you’re a woman." It felt so frustrating and unfair.In Sweden, the situation feels different. Many women receive support and are treated as equals, which is encouraging. Still, I believe we have a long way to go.
Louise Broo Pihlgren
What challenges do you think women still face in your industry?
– My first thought was the expectation to do well both at work and at home—maybe even a little better than the men at work—so that we show them that we belong there. This became very obvious to me when I experienced burnout. It probably should have been clear earlier, but it’s one thing to understand it and another to know how to act on it. Honestly, I keep seeing (or believe that I’m seeing) other women having their s**t together, which makes me think there must be a way to do everything at once. From what I’ve learned from studies, this behavior seems to be quite common. My strongest advice for the next (and the current) generation would be to avoid falling for this really unrealistic picture of reality. By observing others with an open mind, I have realized that there are cracks in everyone’s "walls." I was just focusing on the really strong parts of those walls before, not seeing the whole picture.
Annelie Karlsson
What challenges do you think women still face in your industry?
– I realize more and more that representation is key and that there is power in numbers. Unfortunately, tech companies generally do not usually have 50% women (yet), and the same goes for executive teams. If you are the only woman at the table in the executive team or if you are the only woman in your team at work, it is very different than working with several women and having representation on the other side of the table as well. One thing that helps, if you are a minority at work, is to build a career network outside of work and connect with other inspiring and strong women!
Jessica Ekdahl
If you could give your 18-year-old self one piece of career advice, what would it be?
– It’s great to listen to constructive feedback early in your career to help you continuously grow as a professional. However, as a woman, I often feel you also receive a lot of feedback about how you need to change as a person (e.g., how to adopt more typical male leadership characteristics). This type of feedback is not necessarily useful, in my opinion. So before you take it to heart, just remember there is space for different types of leaders, and you get to decide what type you want to be.
Tove Bäcker
– At the heart of what we do, we believe in the strength of diverse voices and perspectives. Hearing these stories only reminds us of how important it is to create a workplace where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Now, more than ever, the world needs more female leaders.