Google’s Eric Schmidt posed a great question last month to conference attendees at the SelectUSA Investment Summit:
“There’s something about the tech culture, the way we approach it, the incentives, that is driving women away… Why are they not in tech?”
It’s a fantastic question, targeted at the gender gap, which still exists within the technology industry.
I have read a tonne of content about why women are great for the tech industry, and are a firm believer their presence in the industry is the way forward. Two key elements in my opinion are at the heart of the problem - education and negative stereotyping.
Lets face it “tech geek” used to be something looked down upon. But technology has evolved and so must perceptions. We are living in the age of the geek, and maybe that means educating all children on the wonders and effects of tech at an earlier age.
So one day when they grow up and are asked the age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Amongst the lawyers, doctors, firemen and policemen responses, we get “I want to change technology”.
This notion of technology being educated heavier at schools earlier raises many questions still left unanswered.
At what age should Information Technology begin being taught?
Should its importance be on par with science and maths?
How do we break negative stereotypes if they exist in schools?
Are initiatives implemented solely for girls? Or targeted at all children?
A lot of action plans targeted at increasing the presence of women in tech are circulating the web. What we really want though is insight on our community’s opinion.
What we want to know is how YOU would erase the gender gap.