Yesterday, Orange Silicon Valley released the results of a study that is both a cause for concern as well as celebration on the topic of women and technology. While women are taking on more high-profile roles in technology and are increasingly immersed with the web and social media, there are still a number of challenges that need to be addressed. The challenges noted in the study include:
- The decrease in the percentage of women obtaining Computer Science degrees. (In 2006 women made up 12% of Computer Science degrees, compared to 1993 when the number was at 18%. )
- The low percentage of women in leadership roles. (Only 3% of venture-backed companies are run by women, and only 8.5% of Silicon Valley companies have a female board director)
The good news is that the evolution of the web from a place where people go to get information, to a place where people go to connect, communicate and express themselves, is giving more women a deeper level of interaction with web technology. This is exemplified by the fact that females make up the majority of every age category on Facebook.
Another cause for celebration cited in the study is “the new network”, which points to the establishment of organizations geared towards helping women collaborate and grow professionally to become a stronger force in technology. Girls in Tech is specifically called out in the research report as an example of an organization that focuses on the engagement, education and empowerment of women in technology.
Below is an excerpt from Orange’s report with key findings:
- Women are demonstrating new influence at the executive suites of all of the major technology companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, Intel, Cisco, Adobe, Yahoo! and Oracle.
- The traditional under-representation of women in the technology sector is being reversed with the next generation of Girls in Tech, who are prolific users of and contributors to social media platforms invented in Silicon Valley and now in use all over the world.
- This ‘third generation’ of Women in Tech – coinciding with the emergence of Generation Y as a profound influence on the workforce – is already demonstrating a complete lack of intimidation about being in the technology workforce.
- The content creation tools that come built into new devices and the social web, on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and now the iPhone, are creating a new paradigm for producing computer ‘code’, making Girls in Tech a powerful source of world-changing innovation.
- Women in Silicon Valley are rethinking what Work/Life Balance means and redefining how companies approach the needs, of women in particular, at different stages of their careers and personal life.
Research for Her Code: Engendering Change in Silicon Valley, was conducted in the first half of 2009, and included interviews with women from a range of ages and disciplines, including academia, engineering, management, finance and marketing. For the full pdf report, click here.
Leave a Reply