Conference session; CodeMash 2023 (Sandusky, OH, USA)
Abstract:
It’s a common rallying cry: “We need more women in tech!”... but is it true? Is the solution to male-dominated technology workplaces simply to shovel more women into the talent pipeline? That’s what we’ve been trying for the past decade… and it’s not working, when over a third of women in technology report a desire to leave the industry within the next two years, and half of young women leave the field entirely by age 35.
Here’s a wake-up call for men in the industry: there will be more women in tech, if and when you stop pushing them out.
(Yes, the vast majority of you mean well, but… let’s be honest, things in this industry could be a lot better, and it’s not women’s responsibility to fix it up.)
This talk, given by a real, live woman technologist, examines the biases (conscious and unconscious!) present in the tech industry and their effect on women's career trajectories, as well as discuss strategies for combating bias (at every career stage, from every-level to executive) and installing inclusive, fair workplace practices. We’ll look at the data surrounding women in technology, misogyny, and workplace attrition, the causes and impact of that attrition, and what has been done so far to try and address the issue. Attendees will get a glimpse into the working lives of women in the technology field, and, by the end of the session, be prepared to make their workplaces a better place… for everyone.
Note: for brevity and directness of impact, this talk specifically addresses issues affecting women in the technology industry. However, the strategies and suggested practices for furthering inclusion and fair workplace practices are directly applicable or easily translatable to other minority identities in tech, and also to non-tech workspaces.
Abstract:
It’s a common rallying cry: “We need more women in tech!”... but is it true? Is the solution to male-dominated technology workplaces simply to shovel more women into the talent pipeline? That’s what we’ve been trying for the past decade… and it’s not working, when over a third of women in technology report a desire to leave the industry within the next two years, and half of young women leave the field entirely by age 35.
Here’s a wake-up call for men in the industry: there will be more women in tech, if and when you stop pushing them out.
(Yes, the vast majority of you mean well, but… let’s be honest, things in this industry could be a lot better, and it’s not women’s responsibility to fix it up.)
This talk, given by a real, live woman technologist, examines the biases (conscious and unconscious!) present in the tech industry and their effect on women's career trajectories, as well as discuss strategies for combating bias (at every career stage, from every-level to executive) and installing inclusive, fair workplace practices. We’ll look at the data surrounding women in technology, misogyny, and workplace attrition, the causes and impact of that attrition, and what has been done so far to try and address the issue. Attendees will get a glimpse into the working lives of women in the technology field, and, by the end of the session, be prepared to make their workplaces a better place… for everyone.
Note: for brevity and directness of impact, this talk specifically addresses issues affecting women in the technology industry. However, the strategies and suggested practices for furthering inclusion and fair workplace practices are directly applicable or easily translatable to other minority identities in tech, and also to non-tech workspaces.