How I believe women have made an impact in the world of tech and how companies help them impact
Gone are the days where women were expected to stay at home and look after the kids while the men went out to earn a living. These days, it’s perfectly normal to see women enjoying vibrant careers with many entering the technology sector and also taking top roles in some of the world’s biggest companies — and this is a powerful thing to witness. There is a huge community of women in tech out there, and every single woman is incredible in her own way, contributing to the progress of the tech world for the better.
The male-dominated technology industry has a rich history of women making significant contributions to the advancement of the sector. I bet you all have heard of Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, or Katherine Johnson. Lovelace wrote the first computer program in the early 1800s. Hopper paved the way for the popular computer programming language COBOL. Johnson was a NASA mathematician who helped launch John Glenn into space. We often forget that a lot of major technological advancements have been fostered by remarkable women, milestones in history marked by powerful females who went against societal norms to pursue their passions and in that pursuit they have catalyzed much of the technology movement. Everything that we know today, starting from ENIAC and all the way to the amazing VFX of Avengers Infinity War have had key woman resources.
Research shows that women’s choices impact up to 85 percent of consumer purchasing decisions making women the largest single economic force in the world. Technology companies are really benefiting from an understanding of the perspectives and needs of women from their women employees. Women also contribute their diverse set of skills in terms of creating products and services for women. They envision and create a more cohesive experience for and around the product, which is what many women want. Women’s opinions highly matter to the success of consumer technology. The tech industry gleans the two most important insights — how women adopt and utilize technology and hence a lot of women build and lead product development.
Women are breaking through the glass ceiling and are standing alongside their male peers delivering incredible results within the tech world. For example, Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, and Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube have demonstrated that women can be a driving force for innovation and ideas in technology. There is also significant research showing that having more women on a team results in more innovation, better performance in solving hard problems and a positive impact on organizational and financial performance.
A diverse workplace having collaboration amongst individuals of different genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and race leads to increased innovation and enhanced problem-solving. In the tech industry, it is encouraging to see companies like Salesforce prioritize inclusive work culture. One of Salesforce’s key initiatives for gender equality has been their push for equal pay. To date, Salesforce has spent a total of $10.3 million to ensure equal pay for equal work. The vision of the Salesforce Women’s Network is to build a global women’s network to invest, support and empower in our global community of women, and inspire the Salesforce Ohana to focus on improving inclusion, equality and diversity to help Salesforce be the best place for all. Its programs include LeanIn Circles, International Women’s Day events, hands-on activities to aid non-profits focused on women and children, Woman of the Month series, mentorship programs, and more. They also have an amazing series called Trailblazing women where they are building a network for women to find mentors, cultivate leadership and overcome any obstacles to success.
On a personal level, I am extremely passionate about the possibilities that technology presents for young girls and aspiring women. My father was a role model and encouraged me to be the person I want to be. I became interested in technology because of my curiosity and encouragement from wonderful people who helped pave the way for me. I feel an immense personal responsibility to inspire the next generation to embrace technology and entrepreneurial culture and all the incredible experiences it has to offer. It’s not as easy as it sounds — definitely not. A major part of society still frowns upon women who want to step out of the imaginary bubbles that the world wants them to be in and make something wonderful. But it all starts with a single step — the belief that yes we can and yes we will. I wish every woman out there who has a dream can filter out the noise that wants her to give it up . Ibtihaj once said — ‘Chase down your dreams and don’t be fearful. Let your faith be stronger than your fear’. Ladies, just do it and take the plunge, we are here to pull you through. Carpe Diem !
Here’s a short video I made to summarize the article above :)
