Women in Tech: Contributions, Opportunities and Breakthroughs

March is Women’s History Month, a meaningful celebration of an important cornerstone in our society. This month is an opportunity to honor women in the world of tech – including their contributions, opportunities, and breakthroughs in the industry. 

For many years, women have been largely ignored or erased in our history books. Excluding women in our history texts leads to the idea that women may not have any contributions. Women’s History Month spotlights the often-overlooked and under-recognized women and their significant contributions in history, technology, and culture – and how our society can help progress, promote, and move forward equal opportunity. 

Women in the World of Tech

Tech is perceived by many as an often male-dominated industry; society has created stereotypes that discourage girls (at a young age) from pursuing future tech careers. Thus growing up, girls often believe they aren’t as good in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects as the boys. 

It is interesting to note that the first computer coders were actually women. Women played a pivotal role in computer science – they have always been at the forefront, even in the early days of computer history.

March 24 is Ada Lovelace Day, named in honor of the woman considered as the first computer programmer. Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, is attributed to having written the first computer instruction on Charles Babbage’s Difference Machine in the 1800s, almost 200 years ago. Ada was certainly a woman ahead of her times: unfortunately, her work didn’t gain much recognition until in the 1950s, 100 years after her death.

The first modern computer coders were also women. Six women were in charge of developing a new field of computer programming during WWII, a time when most men were fighting the war overseas.

While the male inventors of the computer received awards and recognition, the women were largely anonymous and faded into the background.



Women in Tech Today

Where do women currently stand in the tech world? 

While women played a pivotal role at the dawn of the era, the tech industry is currently largely male-dominated. 

In the US, 57% of American women are in the workforce, and 57% are also studying for their college degrees – and yet, only 21% of computer science degree holders are women. Moreover, only 11% of women work in the tech or engineering-related field. And to the women who work in the industry, two-thirds of them tend to quit within 15 years.

Women are not less skilled in tech, computers, or engineering. They even bring many unique talents to the job: such as their attention to detail, ability to learn fast, and multitasking. Mostly the reason for the disparity is the lack of access and opportunities given to them.

It’s our role as a society to improve equal opportunity; as well as to break the barrier and break the glass ceiling for women to succeed and thrive in the industry.

Nonetheless, there is considerable progress in the field. There are several achievements of note:

• More women have gained leadership roles in the industry. The glass ceiling, albeit still there, is slowly being broken. Now, 44% of companies have at least three women in executive leadership roles – up by 29% from 5 years ago.
  
  
• More women have gained visibility in the field of tech. More women in the field are starting to receive more acknowledgment, recognition, and opportunities to speak in keynote presentations and industry shows.
  
  
• More women have gained funding – a total of $40 billion has been raised by startups founded by women, almost double the investment in the previous two years. This is considerable as in 2018, all-male founding teams constitute 85% of venture capital investment, while only 2% of all-women teams have gained access to funding.
  
  

How to Create More Opportunities for Women in the Industry

It’s already 2022, but many companies and organizations can still expand opportunities for women in tech, such as:

• Hire more women for a more diverse team. Use recruiting pipelines and look for diverse talent. Gender diversity should be core to your hiring process.
  
  
• Build an inclusive culture in the organization. Promote the visibility of minorities and women by fostering a work environment where they feel welcome, versus the dominant “bro culture” that is pervasive in many tech companies in Silicon Valley. This type of environment may make women feel uneasy, unwelcome, or hostile towards them.
  
  
• Be transparent about the representation of women at the different levels of your organization. Talk to women employees about their advancement goals and career objectives. It’s also essential to track their careers to spot – and address – bias and problems early on.
  
  
• Provide work flexibility. Support women who have families (or want to have families) by providing the right support (such as maternity benefits, child care, among others).
  
  
• Demonstrate equal access in skills training. Both men and women should have the same access to opportunities, leadership, and mentorship opportunities.
  
  
• Support organizations that support women in the tech industry. For example, ‘Code First Girls’ is a non-profit that teaches women tech skills and helps companies improve recruitment and create a more women-friendly work environment. ‘Black Girls Code’ supports girls of color with resources to help them succeed in STEM fields. ‘Girls in Tech’ and ‘Girls who Code’ empower women through boot camps, coding courses, and clubs to help them in their STEM or tech track.

Society should move forward and encourage girls of all ages and backgrounds to consider tech degrees. Universities can help create inclusive and better computer science programs to make them less intimidating and welcome students from all walks of life. 

It is our role to help be an ally for women in tech. Once we create strong support, a sense of belonging, and a positive network, we can advance and support women in the industry and help them thrive in the world of technology.

To all the women who chase after their dreams and careers, we are rooting for you. You got this!