This week we have decided to do something different, and touch the issue of Gender Equality from another angle. As some of you may know from some of my previous articles, I am deeply rooted into technology; I am quite sensible to the idea of gender equality and women in technology is one of the issues that I feel is still showing a large gap between men and women.
We therefore welcome Total’s more “professional” approach to bridging the gap, with their scholarship for female developers.
Women in Tech: Bridging the Gap One Step at a Time
The fact that women are underrepresented in tech is nothing new. The numbers aren’t good, and don’t seem to be getting better any time soon, despite study after study showing that gender diversity (and diversity in general) unlocks innovation and drives market growth.
Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Facebook have released figures showing that women comprise only 16% of the engineering workforce in the technology industry. The gap is even larger when you look at open source, with women making up around just 6% of users on GitHub.
Last week, Faby and Carlo published a call to action for supporting gender equality via social media. Starting with the small things in every day life, as they suggest in last week’s article, applies to combatting gender inequality in tech too.
Think back to your college days, or to your campus today. Many programs have built up a strong track record for gender equality, such as Princeton University’s Engineering department at 50/50. But then, stepping out into the professional world, that number dwindles over the years, until 30% becomes 16%, and the number of technical senior level roles held by women barely merits a mention.
Is this because women are inherently less talented or intelligent than men in technical subjects? Clearly not. We believe this division is the result of insufficient mentorship, guidance, and encouragement to help girls and women succeed in tech.
Just look at these statistics, and you see what I mean.
But together, we can help change this. Please consider sharing this infographic with your tech-minded female friends, and encourage them to apply to the Toptal Scholarship for Female Developers, a year-round contest that will award 12 $5,000 stipends to women and girls to help them pursue their technical career goals.
