Women In Tech: A Dying Breed?

Published November 17, 2008 @ 02:46PM PT

As I have stated previously - my experience in the technology field by proxy of my career in online marketing has taught me the most about the existing gender gap. The technology field serves as a unique microcosm of the women's rights movement and today the New York Times decided to take a stab at the subject of women in technology with their piece What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?

The article is helpful in the fact that it helps raise the conscious level about one of the last fields where women have yet to find parity with men. In this situation, it seems that the lack of females is not due to a lack of women studying technology - but a larger and more difficult reason to pin down - the fact that machismo tech culture is not welcoming to women - which is what discourages women from studying the field in the first place:

"When one looks at computer science in particular, however, the proportion of women has been falling. In 2001-2, only 28 percent of all undergraduate degrees in computer science went to women. By 2004-5, the number had declined to only 22 percent. Data collected by the Computing Research Association showed even fewer women at research universities like M.I.T.: women accounted for only 12 percent of undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering in the United States and Canada granted in 2006-7 by Ph.D.-granting institutions, down from 19 percent in 2001-2. Many computer science departments report that women now make up less than 10 percent of the newest undergraduates."

Lately there has been a strategic effort by women in tech to try and get more female panelists at tech conferences, confront misogynistic attitudes and thwart the perpetuation of the boys club in technology. Some great pieces came out last week on these subjects: Huffington Post Mutes Women's Voices, Cracking the Boys Club, and Most Influential Women in Web 2.0. I encourage everyone to take a read and be enlightened as well as inspired about the current failings and successes when it comes to women in the tech field.

However, even though women are pushing the envelope and trying to create a conversation on the subject, there is still a lot of work to do. Take a look at this survey written by Sylvia Ann Hewlett about the female-to-male ratios in the technology field, titled Women and Technology: The Ugly Truth:

"Women, it turns out, are excelling in science, engineering, and technology (SET). In 2007, girls won both the Siemens and Intel science competitions and walked off with 53% of graduate degrees in the biological sciences. Despite the bias and barriers that continue to exist in our culture, a surprisingly large number of young women embark on careers in science.... This rosy picture is spoiled by one calamitous fact. A little ways down the road, more than half of these women drop out-pushed and shoved by macho work environments, serious isolation, and extreme job pressures."

Hewlett expands on her thesis in The Harvard Business Review, which reports that "Athena Factor survey data show that 41% of highly qualified scientists, engineers, and technologists on the lower rungs of corporate career ladders are female."

Yikes. According to Hewlett, in addition to fewer women entering the field, the women who are in the field don't feel welcome and also don't see a clear path for success? No wonder women in tech are becoming a dying breed.

In order to save women in tech from extinction, make sure to team up with other like minded ladies and join organizations where you can find success and support in the field such as these organizations:

National Girls Collaborative Project

DigiGirlz High Technology Camps

Girls In Tech

Women Who Tech

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Comments (5)

Thanks for this post Jen, I've definitely noticed this gap myself and am glad to know about the organizations above for support.

Posted by Dorothee Royal-Hedin... on 11/17/2008 @ 03:00PM PT
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I found your post very timely. I recently wrote a post related to this topic (see complete post at www.tinyURL.com/679sju - "Can You Hear the Ceiling Shattering?").

I work at Intel and our second Female Fellow was announced recently (this is the highest level in the technical track at our company, equivalent to vice president on the management track).

During the recent presidential election, there was a focus on glass ceilings being shattered. This sentiment was top of mind for me when I read that Dr. Genevieve Bell was named as an Intel Fellow. Genevieve joins Kelin Kuhn as the second female Intel Fellow, and both women share a passion for technology and how it's positively impacting our lives.

For many years there has been discussion about the "glass ceiling" for women in tech, specifically the lack of females in technology, science and math careers.

We ask ourselves...
How do we attract more females into science and math?

Why do women continue to earn cents-on-the-dollar to a man?

Why do men continue to be the lead designers of tech products that are purchased by many women?

Why don't more engineers understand that designing products for women means more than making them pink?

I have heard a lot about a need for change in the recent political race in the U.S. I think that change is also coming to the tech industry and not just so SV companies can fulfill an equal opportunity charter that HR has set out for them.

I believe that more women will lead the technology revolution because not only is it fair and right, but because it's good business. Having people represented at the "management table" who offer different points of view, have different backgrounds and bring varying perspectives makes businesses more successful, better able to compete, and reach new and broader audiences.

Perhaps the tech industry will be guided by the Chinese Proverb -- "Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still." And hence, with patience, we both look up to today's tech leaders like Genevieve and Kelin and look forward to the day when even more women and girls will share this esteemed spotlight.

Posted by Alison Wesley on 11/17/2008 @ 04:49PM PT
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Also check out Women in Technology, a DC based association promoting women leaders in the IT community.

http://www.womenintechnology.org/

Posted by Tracy Johnson on 11/18/2008 @ 06:51AM PT
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Excellent article, Jen, and great links too. It inspired me to go back and check on one of my favorite recent examples of self-perpetuating boys clubs, Venture Hacks. An excerpt:

The dynamics I noted in June are still there. The front page starts with a "recent recommendations" from TJ (a guy), promoting his own company; and about Harper and Jacob (guys) joining a startup. Then there are the same old quotes about how great Venture Hacks is from Evan (guy) and James (guy). Four of the five tweets on their Twitter feed are quotes from guys (the fifth promoting an article on Venture Hacks). In fact there are once again at least 25 references to or videos of guys on the front page, and none at all to a woman....
Some good news for Venture Hacks: Charles River Ventures has recently signed up as the site's first sponsor. The all-male CRV investment team will no doubt feel right at home.

Posted by Jon Pincus on 11/18/2008 @ 09:11AM PT
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Woman take everything so seriously. IT is about having fun.

Posted by jake jackson on 12/22/2008 @ 08:25PM PT
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Author

Jen Nedeau is a social media consultant, progressive activist, feminist speaker and writer. She currently lives in New York City, where she works full-time as the Director of Digital Strategy at Air America Media. In August 2008, Nedeau was selected to be the Editor of the WomensRights.Change.Org where she facilitates daily discussion about the feminist movement. Additionally, Nedeau volunteers as the Chief Technology Officer for New Leaders Council, a non-profit that offers exclusive training for young leaders. You can follow her on Twitter @HumanFolly or learn more here: www.jennedeau.com.