We can't ignore the women issue in tech, but we're getting there
Women in tech, or the lack thereof, is still a hotbed issue. It might be increasingly dull to those of us (of either gender,) who are just getting on with being part of an industry we love, but that doesn’t stop people both inside and outside discussing the topic. It's why people still gawp admiringly at Sheryl Sandberg as a woman instead of a pioneering COO, it's why Kara Swisher, Alexia Tsotsis and Sarah Lacey are still relative novelties in the blogosphere, and it’s why there was quite a lot of excitement at the prospect of the launch of Girls in Tech London recently.
In fairness, the event itself did fairly well in keeping the focus on technology and business instead of the 'sisterhood', and had panels of very interesting women. While some topics were pleasingly different to the normal offering, such as IT security and individual brand building, others were a bit galling such as 'gaming for girls'.
We may have all become accustomed to the image of the 18 year old, hoody wearing, male über-nerd, hunched over their various devices, but that just isn't accurate anymore.
According to research written up in The Atlantic, women are now the preeminent users of a range of technology, and the digital gatekeepers in their homes. Women use the internet more then men, communicate via Skype more than men, user every social network bar LinkedIn more than men, and use GPS more than men (readers can write their own joke for that one.) In fact, women are the majority users of all Internet enable devices.
As well as using technology more, women are increasingly at the forefront of creating it. At the top of the industry, as well as Sandberg, IBM now have a female president and CEO, Google’s first female engineer has risen up the ranks to become a key vice-president at the company, and female co-founded ventures such as Flickr have become wildly successful.
That isn’t to say that the obviously low levels of women involved in tech companies should just be ignored. The Atlantic also point out that “less than 10 percent of venture capital-back companies have female founders", and a quick tune into Le Web London last week will show countless male dominated panels.
Events such as Girls in Tech London are a good opportunity to hear from informative speakers, and meet some interesting people. It is also a nice change once in a while to be in a predominantly female environment. However, with women increasingly setting the agenda in so many ways, by continually separating ourselves out we create an inferiority complex that ultimately becomes self-fulfilling.
In fact, there is a strong case for saying that women are better equipped than men in the age of social and sharing. We are much more naturally inclined to conversation, discussion, and yes, co-operation, than men often are. The brogrammer, as satirically depicted by Gina Trapani, just isn’t what will become successful. A utopian image it may be, but openness, sharing, and collaboration often get people further in tech than being cut off and closed in. It may be taking time for companies to realise this, but the proof will be in there bottom line – gender balanced marketing and products, such as Apple or Nintendo, will ultimately be more successful.
The issue is that many women just don’t realise this, and feel that tech ‘isn’t for them’. (I remember once being asked what I do, and when I replied ‘tech consultant and tech writer’ receiving the response “that’s a strange thing for a nice young girl to do”.) One of the most interesting sessions at Girls in Tech was from two women from different companies imploring the audience to learn how to code (one ran a company teaching coding, but nevertheless…) Michael Gove’s desire to shake up IT teaching in schools was a welcome one, and is particularly important for girls. Coding is still not seen as a ‘feminine’ hobby or skill, so girls often don’t teach themselves like boys do. We patronisingly put it into the maths and physics category of things that the male brain just does better, so it is essential that this vital skill is taught properly, and inspires women to continue to develop their coding.
Arguably, by running female support networks, we needlessly separate ourselves, and put off newcomers to the industry. It’s time to start being girls in tech, instead of just talking about it.