WOMEN

TECHNOLOGY &

THERE IS A PROBLEM IN TECHNOLOGY

This problem does not involve hardware,

software, or bug fixes. It involves gender and

the totally skewed ratio of men and women in

the field.

FIRST, SOME NUMBERS

TECHNOLOGY WAS NOT ALWAYS DOMINATED BY MEN.

According to Anna Lewis of Fog Creek Software,

women made up 42% of software developers in

America in 1987, but that percentage has since been

cut in half.

THE DAVE-TO-GIRL RATIO:

The number of men in Technology named Dave is

higher than the number of women in the field.

AMONG THE HOTTEST NEW COMPANIES:

Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, Groupon, PayPal, and

Foursquare have zero women on their five-member

boards.

Following closely are:

• Apple - 1 woman on their 7-member board

• Amazon - 1 woman on their 8-member board

• Google - 2 women on a their 9-member board.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

STEREOTYPES FUEL STIGMA

Faruk Ates, a web designer, developer, and writer,

suggests that there are 2 myths about women in

Technology that are fueling the stigma against female

developers.

1. Women are intrinsically less good at computer

programming or design than men.

2. Men claiming women are less good has no

negative influence on their joining the sector.

Ates explains, “The percentage of women in a certain

field is consistently linked to how female-friendly the

field is perceived both culturally and individually.”

Similarly, Anna Lewis, writer of “Girls Go Geek...

Again!” states that the reason women left the field

was because of the association with the stereotypical

“hacker” - an “eccentric, antisocial, male.” Leah

Hanson, an intern with Fog Creek, explains that when

recruiters for Computer Science use competitive

language, women are turned off. Women react more

positively to an opportunity regarding mentorship

and learning, while men react more positively to

competition.

LACK OF RECRUITMENT

Prescribed gender roles make it easy for people to put

themselves in the role of a bystander. As explained

by GOOD.is in the article, “Promote Women: Use Your

Network to Solve the Byline Gap,” the lack of women

in technology can be a frustrating, yet passive topic

of conversation. The author writes, “You acknowledge

that women are underrepresented in your industry—

particularly if you work in media, design, or tech. You

know that they are far less visible, and probably paid

less, than men of equal experience. You’re frustrated

at how difficult it sometimes seems to fill your

workplace or panel discussion with enough women. But

what have you ever done about it?”

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

The most obvious response to the complaint of a lack

of women in Technology is that the women aren’t

anywhere to be found. Many people (men) explain

that it is next to impossible to find a woman who is

both qualified and interested enough to take on a job

in programming. What these people assume is that

the playing field has been leveled. They assume that

every woman and every minority has had the same

opportunity as them. It is important to understand

that the lack of opportunity is what holds women back

from pursuing a career in Technology. As Faruk Ates

explains, “It would be great if we could only judge

people on merit, but that’s only fair to do if everyone

can get on the playing field equally. It should come as

no surprise that some members of this group perceive

the world as equal opportunity: they are already on the

field, playing with each other, not realizing that they’ve

put barriers up around the field that make it difficult for

others to participate.”

HOW CAN WE FIX IT?

MULTIMEDIA ARTS & DESIGN ACADEMY AT SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL

The Multimedia Arts & Design Academy (MAD)

at Santa Barbara High school is a “school within a

school” where students learn graphic & web design,

film production, and motion graphics along with

their standard high school curriculum. Students are

encouraged to integrate the skills they learn in their

MAD classes with their required classes. For example,

a history project would entail creating a website to

showcase the knowledge learned in the class rather

than a printed essay.

LEARNING FROM MAD ACADEMY

While MAD Academy does not have an ideal ratio of

men to women, it is a successful example of ways in

which technology can be integrated into other fields

of work. With a few tweaks, MAD could be the perfect

way to introduce women into the field.

ETSY HACKER GRANTS

Etsy has partnered with Hacker School to help bring

more women into technology. Last summer, the Etsy

Hacker Grants gave out ten $5,000 grants to women

who want to enhance their programming skills. It

was a three-month summer intensive program that

provided new opportunities for women to begin their

careers in technology.

LEARNING FROM ETSY

In a blog post, Mark Hedlund, VP of Engineering at

Etsy, acknowledged that immersing young girls into

the world of programming should start as early as

middle school. Girls need to know that it’s okay to be

into technology.

Using Etsy Hacker Grants as a starting point, I hope

to create a way to interact women with programming

at a young age. It will be relatable, will teach them

skill, and will help create a baseline of women who are

interested in technology as a career.

PIPER BLACKTHESIS FALL 2012

Please feel free to contact me with questions, references, or ideas. I

am still exploring this topic and would love any input or suggestions.

piperjblack@gmail.com

www.piperblack.com