To celebrate International Woman’s Day, I would like to underline the topic of why we need more women in technology. As a woman who writes about technology almost every day, I had the opportunity to talk to different group of women of what they think about the topic and what are their approach to technology. Women Love Tech always aims to empower women via lifestyle technology, why – because tech is a great fit for women. More women ARE in fact getting into tech. Women are smart, savvy and the primary controllers of financials in the family and know that with tech- it is opening up opportunities unlike never before.
The women who are in tech are extremely successful. A study conducted by Kauffman Foundation has revealed that women-led hi-tech startups achieve 35% higher return on investment, and when venture backed they generate 12% more revenue than male-owned tech companies. Unfortunately they form only 3% of tech start-ups. This disparity is both bad for technology companies because women have a lot to offer them and it’s bad for women as these are high paying jobs that they are well equipped to handle.
Powerful Women In Technology
Tech has always been mostly for men, and women are afraid to go against cultural barriers that will limit their opportunities just because of their gender. Even though more and more women every day think about starting their own company, they are discouraged by numbers: they see for example that only 3% of Venture Capital money goes to female entrepreneurs. On the other hand, women are more organized today and support each other in this field like never before. I see a brighter future for women in tech.
Powerful women leaders in tech like Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer and Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg have been vocal about the need for more women in tech and for a corporate environment where they can succeed. But at the same time, there is another, wider pool of women who have founded their own technology companies and often times helped other women to do the same.
Data Proven*
The problem that while 57 percent of occupations in the workforce are held by women, in computing occupations that figure is only 25 percent. And of chief information officer jobs (CIOs) at Fortune 250 companies, 20 percent were held by a woman in 2012. Further, this imbalance is not a temporary blip and in fact it may be getting worse as the percentage of undergraduate degree recipients in computer science for women has actually fallen from 37% in 1985 to 18% in 2010. (*Forbes)
OneStory
To celebrate Women in Technology Girls Raising and OneStory have partnered to share the successes of the strong women changing the scene in one of the most influential industries in the world.
Leading up to March 8th, 2014 they are encouraging women in tech (and men who support this movement) to share their story through the following questions:
- What is your role in tech? – feel free to pitch the world on your wonderfulness
- What is your vision for women in tech?
- Share an idea to encourage more women to enter careers in technology.
“As a woman in tech myself and the co-founder of a startup, I understand the unique challenges of women in this field, but also the huge opportunities,” says OneStory co-founder Katrina German. “We are excited to use our platform in this way and look forward to inspiration coming from every corner of the globe.”
“Members of the Girls Raising Network constantly see the high return on investment in women in technology,” says Vanessa Dawson of Girls Raising. “We look forward to celebrating and sharing this message with the world.”
If you want to share this story or have a question, please leave a comment. Happy International Women’s Day.
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