Support Women in Technology

 

One of the big shocks at the 2019 Academy Awards was when Period. End of Sentence. won for Best Documentary – Short Subject. As the director, Rayka Zehtabchi, put it, “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar.”

But Period. End of Sentence is not really about menstruation. Or at least it’s not just about menstruation. The film stands as a powerful example of the amazing and positive things technology can do. By introducing even simple technology (the machine used to create the pads) new and amazing possibilities are brought into existence and lives and societies are greatly improved.

This is how we should be using technology. Properly used, it has the potential to open up new worlds and opportunities to voices that might have been stifled.

I want my daughter to exist in a world that is eager to hear her voice and her ideas. I also want her to exist in a world with a bright future.

This is why we need more women in the tech field. It’s obvious that the tech field is the field of the future and we need it to be strong and equal. We need diversity in the ideas coming forth and we need multiple perspectives to see the whole picture.

Let’s look at what we need to do.

The best way to increase the number of women exploring the field of technology is to show them that it has been done and is totally within reach. Women have a long history in technology, going back to Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, and the six women who successfully programmed the Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).

Technology may have been transformed into a so-called “man’s field” but it doesn’t have to be.

Today’s children are raised on technology and there is a good chance your children are more technologically-savvy than you are. The interest is there from the get-go.

We can start to foster this love of technology early on. If your daughter expresses an interest or skill in the field check out the classes that offer coding lessons for younger students. Girls Who Code offer after school classes and summer school lessons, while Girls Learning Code (a branch of Canada Learning Code) aim to give girls a safe and fun environment to explore a vital element of our online world.

Getting more women into STEM fields in university is also vital. Luckily many women have recognized the need for a support system to encourage women to pursue these degrees and have created such systems at numerous institutions. Western University, for example, has the Women in Technology Society and Columbia University, Washington University and numerous others across North America have set up to provide support to the next generation of technology experts.

This is not just happening in North America. India created the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) as a way to encourage more women to enter these fields.

We know what we need to do to diversify the technology field. Let’s keep this momentum so future generations will be better represented.

The final step, of course, is ensuring the work environment allows everyone to function at their peak.

A Harvard study found that 50 percent of women working in the technology field leave the profession and a large part of this has to do with the male-dominated culture and work environment.

Whether through flexible work practices, mentorships, role models or an individual quota system simple changes can improve the work environment for everyone and ensure women gain an equal footing in the technological field.

When it comes to entrepreneurs, there needs to be a shift so venture funding extends to a more diverse population. After, according to a #ProjectDiane report, only 0.2 percent of venture funding is given to women and people of colour.

This is why initiatives like the BDC Capital Women in Technology (WIT) Fund are so incredibly important. This funding initiative will help bring forth more women-led startups and companies and in turn lead to a more equal marketplace and business world.

We are stronger when more voices are heard and people have the tools needed to fully explore their talents. A business world that ignores or stifles the skills women can bring to the technology field is wrong and not something we should want to pass down to our children.

Changing the world for the better won’t be hard. In fact it won’t take more effort than maintaining the status quo. The difference, however, will be dramatic and greatly needed.

Let’s support the changes that need to be made and are being made to create a more equal society and world. It’s the right thing to do.