Today, we recognize an occasion that impacts the entire global population - International Women’s Day.
As a talent-centric organization, we often get an up-close look at the incredible impact women make at some of the most technical, challenging organizations in the world. Yet women are still largely underrepresented in technology companies. Why?
The reality is that women could receive more encouragement to develop an interest in STEM subjects and ultimately, pursue careers in the tech industry, but only 16% of females say that they've had a tech career suggested to them, compared with 33% of males (according to a PwC UK report).
The WomenTech Network reports that, as a result, by the time students reach college age, women are significantly underrepresented in STEM majors. Only around 21% of engineering majors are women and only around 19% of computer and information science majors are women.
While these statistics might paint a disappointing picture, there are rays of light. Here are a couple of examples:
➡️The number of organizations that align women with other women for mentoring and leadership, such as Chief and WomenTech, continues to grow and are proliferating to other global regions.
➡️The number of non-profit organizations that focus on developing young women’s interest and skills in science and technology, like Girls in Tech, Girls Who Code, and Women in STEM, are increasing in number and in their global reach.
The criticality of mentor-mentee relationships between women shouldn’t be overlooked because their impact is extraordinary! As one female executive leader of a high-growth AI semiconductor company recently shared with us.
"I value mentorship, and my experience with women in particular is that when you have a mentor in your life, that helps you grow and develop. It creates a long-lasting bond. It creates confidence and people who are engaged, who feel like they have career path progression and they feel like they have fulfillment and community, they want to stay and they end up doing that for others.”
Those are words that resonate with us, so this International Women’s Day, we recognize women and celebrate the mentors who are making a difference on the lives of women; those who give their time and talents, who help create that sense of belonging, who instill confidence, and who show women that the technology sector IS for them!
#IWD2024 #InternationalWomensDay #womenintech
Chief Scientist | Global channel executive | Digital thought leader | Strategist | Innovation & Growth hacker | Transformational leader | CTO
4moSuch a great story of inspiration. The articles shares great insight, thank you for sharing. Persist and you will succeed, aim for the stars to reach the moon. I recall a discussion of ours many years back on Carol Dweck's book "Mindset: the science of success". Being able to aporoach challenges with the appropriate "mindset" can turn difficult situations into opportunities. Keep Inspiring!