Breaking barriers: Women's journey through the digital glass ceiling
Phoebe Khagame (right) and Mukami Diana. From brutal cyberbullying and constant competence questioning to pay gaps and double leadership standards, they faced unique gender-based obstacles that their male counterparts rarely encounter in the digital space.
What you need to know:
- Women in digital careers reveal the gender-based obstacles they faced in male-dominated industries where only 26 per cent of professionals are female.
- From cyberbullying and pay gaps to leadership double standards, they encountered unique challenges their male counterparts rarely face.
Technology promises unlimited opportunities, yet the visibility it demands can become an obstacle for women entering digital careers. Female content creators and tech professionals find themselves in spaces that celebrate potential while scrutinizing performance.
Mukami Diana discovered this reality when she embarked on her content creation journey more than a year ago. Drawing inspiration from figures like Murugi Munyi and Maxine Wabosha who had ventured into this space before her, Mukami wanted to stand out by posting authentic content.
"I did not want to wait until I had the resources to post content that resembled a celebrity lifestyle. I wanted to show my followers my lifestyle as it was at the time," Mukami tells Nation.Africa.
She hoped the online community would support her courage to venture into a visible career with limited resources. However, she soon discovered that the online community prioritized aesthetics, and very few people were willing to promote content creators starting from humble beginnings.
"I was just starting out, but people expected to see a perfect lifestyle. I would encounter so much cyberbullying and negative comments in my initial posts that I often considered quitting," says Mukami.
Most of the negativity around her beauty, weight, and skin complexion came from people whom 'Mukami d', as she is popularly known on social media, had anticipated would be her biggest supporters. Other women, who may have understood the challenges young girls face when starting out, would criticize her work not to correct but to discourage her from continuing.
Mukami Diana is a content creator, popularly known as Mukami_d across social media.
"I would sacrifice so much time and effort preparing content, but it was never enough. I contemplated switching to content that wasn't authentic, just so that I do not disappoint or lose my followers," she explains.
Through persistence, discipline, and choosing to focus on positive instead of negative aspects of content creation, Mukami has overcome hurdles that prevent new creatives from growing their brands. From a few dozen followers when starting out, she has grown her social media presence to thousands of followers on all platforms where she posts her work.
"The growing fan base has given me the confidence to keep creating without being weighed down by the setbacks. Unfortunately, however, not many young girls manage to move beyond the negativity to grow their brands," Mukami says.
Over the last decade, advancements in technology have made it possible for young women to make a living from digital careers such as content creation that were once dominated by their male counterparts. However, barriers such as limited access to resources continue to limit many women, particularly those from rural or low-income neighbourhoods, from venturing into digital careers.
When they manage to start, many struggle to remain relevant in online spaces due to issues such as cyberbullying that discourage them from continuing to work on their brands.
"The fear of online trolling is real, and many women hesitate to put themselves out there because of this fear, not to mention the resource constraints they face when starting out," says Mukami.
Industry challenges
Mercy Mugii.
According to a World Economic Forum study, globally, only about 26 per cent of professionals in industries associated with digital technologies are female.
Mercy Deche, a product manager, has experienced challenges throughout her career in technology. When women manage to get to positions of influence in their respective fields, they are often questioned about their competence, even when their portfolio and qualifications show they can get the job done.
"During my initial years in software development, I struggled to find my footing and would often find myself in situations where I had to constantly prove my competence, even though I was a certified computer scientist," Mercy says.
"Women are the primary caregivers and therefore experience greater challenges keeping up with the rapidly evolving digital world and taking care of their homes as well," Mercy adds.
Later in her career, she was fortunate to meet mentors who helped point her in the right direction, but this is usually not the case for many women starting out in tech careers.
"Although efforts have been ramped up to increase the participation of women in tech, the representation of women in these careers, particularly at the senior levels, remains low, and so we do not have many visible female role models to inspire young girls," says Mercy.
Phoebe Khagame Oxygen Alliance Director during an interview at Nation Centre in Nairobi on August 15, 2025.
Phoebe Khagame, the director at an initiative that leverages technology to enhance operations in the health industry, says the few women who make it to senior levels face significant challenges that limit their impact in the communities they serve.
"There are usually unspoken undertones for women. Sometimes you have to prove your credibility even when you have been doing the work and there is evidence to that. That can slow down the trust-building process that is essential for collaboration," says Phoebe.
She observes that women are often expected to take a back seat and restrain themselves from voicing diverging opinions, even when these opinions could impact those involved in a positive way.
"When you get to a certain position and you start to speak up, you are told that you are too strong or too controversial. When you keep quiet, you are told you do not know your stuff," remarked Phoebe.
Though there has been progress lately, the social impact advocate notes that workplace structures have not been very supportive in terms of creating opportunities for women to not only get into but also thrive in tech-related fields.
"The conversation cannot just be about entry; we must talk of retention and growth. How do we ensure that women do not just get in but also stay and thrive in tech-related fields? We see many women take up IT courses, but few actually get employed in tech companies," said Phoebe.
She says changes in company policies on matters such as maternity leave, which affect women in industries that require visibility twice as negatively, could help women remain relevant in their respective fields.
"It could be small changes like increasing maternity leave from three to four or even six months. That ongoing support makes a lot of difference, and it is something women leaders can lobby for in their respective organizations," says Phoebe.
Cyberbullying and compensation
Mukami says that in order to encourage more women to venture into visible careers such as content creation, there is a need to address cyberbullying, which is one of the main factors that kills the aspirations of budding content creators.
Enacting and enforcing strict laws against cyberbullying, as well as promoting a culture of kindness and empathy online by encouraging people to treat others with the respect they themselves would want to be treated with, could motivate more women to venture into these spaces.
"Before you post harsh comments about a content creator whose background story you do not know, put yourself in their shoes and consider whether you would want to receive the same comments. If not, then don't post something negative," she explains.
The content creator adds that there is a need to address compensation for online creatives who are just starting out, as this has been a factor contributing to high levels of attrition in the industry.
"Recently there has been a lot of unrest online regarding the issue of influencer marketing services. Brands are saying they would rather pay for meta ads as opposed to paying influencers to market their products, but what would this mean for the creative industry?" poses Mukami.
She challenges the private sector to support women creatives willing to put themselves out there by offering them influencer marketing contracts so they can sustain their content creation careers.
"What an established content creator here earns is a fraction of what an upcoming influencer in a country such as South Africa earns. We need to figure out why this is the case and come up with remedial solutions," says Mukami.
For external interventions to work in their favour, Mukami says women have to take the initiative and deal with internal battles that are often the largest impediments to their success. For instance, many women get derailed by the idea of needing the perfect setup or finding the perfect timing to start, yet the truth is, as humans, it can be difficult for anyone to find a perfect balance in life.
"Your journey is your content. Don't succumb to the pressure of meeting expectations, especially regarding aesthetics. Share your life as it unfolds, and the rest will follow," she states.
Mercy agrees, adding that the digital space is huge and can accommodate everyone, therefore women should not hold back in leveraging the opportunities and resources available to start.
"While outside influences could significantly influence whether or not you succeed in tech-related careers, personal initiative is what truly impacts career progression. Even the small beginnings can make a huge difference," notes Mercy.
The computer scientist encourages women to upskill in areas such as automation and artificial intelligence, which could help them remain relevant in the often demanding and quickly evolving tech industry.
Networking and mentorship
Phoebe encourages women who are just starting out to actively seek out mentors and sponsors who can guide them and promote them in circles where they are not present.
"At times we want to work in silos and say 'my work is going to speak for itself,' but showing up in different ways, networking, being present and part of the community are key in growing your brand," says Phoebe.
The social impact advocate adds that brilliance and talent in tech-related fields matter, but what really determines whether or not one remains relevant when the doors open for them is persistence and discipline.
"You need to constantly show up, speak up and stay the course. Most importantly, when you get into the room, do not close the door—keep it open," she concludes.
