Girls Code- It’s Time to Change
According to the NCWIT (National Center for Women and Information Technology), in 2017 just 26% of professional computing jobs were held by women. This statistic speaks for itself, there are clearly not enough women holding jobs in the technology industry, especially in terms of leadership roles.
With Girls Code, I hope to encourage women to show their interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and Leadership, not solely technology. It is an open place for both men and women to write about diversity and inclusion in both work and society. I also hope to create awareness about the issues that we still face in terms of the inequalities seen in the workplace today.
Where We Are Today?
Although there are many initiatives encouraging women to branch out into technology, the numbers are still low. A recent study from PWC UK “Time to close the Gender Gap” stated that only 3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice. While this statistic is incredibly low, it is also incredibly insightful. We now know that there is not enough work being done in advocating for young women of career choosing age to consider careers in the technology field. This study also disclosed the fact that “16% of females have had a career in technology suggested to them” vs 33% of males. These students are the future of businesses and corporations and we should be giving our female students the same opportunities as our male students.
Who Got Us Here?
There are many people and events that inspired the women in technology movement. These people and events date back to the early 19th century. I have outlined some women in STEM that have made a great impact on this movement and their work continues to inspire many today.
Williamina Fleming was a Scottish astronomer. She worked as a maid for Edward Pickering, Director of Harvard College Observatory (HCO). Pickering’s wife insisted that Fleming had talents beyond her duties as a maid. Pickering proceeded to hire Fleming as part of the HCO. He taught her how to analyze stellar spectra. During her time at the HCO, Williamina discovered 59 gaseous nebulae (cluster of stars within a cloud of dust and gas), more than 310 variable stars (stars that change brightness), and 10 novae (stars that increase dramatically in brightness and return to previous state over a few months). As well as these discoveries, Fleming was also a member of Harvard Computers. There she was part of an all female team that computed mathematical classifications and edited the observatory’s publications. She was honoured with many awards and titles, including the Guadalupe Almendaro Medal and honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London in 1906.
Annie Easley was an African-American computer scientist and mathematician. Her career began when she saw an article in the newspaper about twin sisters who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She applied for a job their and was hired where she began her job as a mathematician and a computer scientist. Easley was also continuing her education whilst working for NACA. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She also continued her education by completing courses offered in NACA. Her work done during her time at both NACA and NASA included developing and executing computer code as well as working on projects to solve energy problems. Easley’s resilience is something to be inspired by as she never quit. She was aware of the inequalities of the workplace, and her response was: “When people have their biases and prejudices, yes, I am aware. My head is not in the sand. But my thing is, if I can’t work with you, I will work around you. I was not about to be so discouraged that I’d walk away. That may be a solution for some people, but it’s not mine.”
Hedy Lamar was an Austrian/American born actress and inventor. It is important to note the stereotypes of women in tech. They are often seen as quite “geeky” and tomboyish. However, Lamarr was a very glamorous woman who had other interests and talents. Lamarr was a curious child and at age 5 would open her music box and put it back together to figure out how it worked. Through exploring and expressing many interests Hedy shattered stereotypes. Hedy invented Spread Spectrum Technology ( where a telecommunication signal is transmitted on a bandwidth larger than frequency content of original information). It was offered to the U.S. Navy to be used during World War Two but it was declined. It wasn’t until the 1960’s until this creation was put into use. This invention is the reason why we have Wi-Fi, GPS and other wireless communication technologies today. Hedy Lamarr’s work didn’t go unnoticed, her partner George Antheil and herself were both awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award and the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award in 1997. Lamarr advocated for curiosity and exploration surrounding the future saying “Hope & curiosity about the future seemed better than guarantees. The unknown was always so attractive to me…and still is.”
Where Do We Need To Go?
To conclude, I hope you have gained some insight into the challenges women have faced over the years in trying to create a career for themselves in the STEM industry. The careers of women suffered due to the stereotypes that were placed on them, particularly in the STEM industries.
However, these inequalities and stereotypes continue to exist in the workplace. It is important that we are persistent in talking about these challenges in order to overcome them.
There are some great initiatives being implemented in order to try and increase the number of women pursuing careers in STEM industries and holding leadership roles. Some of these strategies include OWL (Oracle Women Leadership) at Oracle, Accenture are working towards achieving 50/50 gender balance by 2025 in each of their sectors, Dress for Success hold an incredible mentoring program in order to get women back into financial independence and IWISH conference held in Cork and Dublin each year to encourage and inspire young girls to consider a career in STEM post secondary school.
As Amber Gordon, founder of Femsplain (a Medium publication dedicated to inspiring “discussion and connection through storytelling”) has said: “Trust in yourself, believe that your voice matters, and know that your words are good enough.”
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*All views and opinions are my own and not that of Oracle.*
