Technology reflects the people who make it. Today women make up 52% of the world population; however, most technology is designed by men. As technology becomes more pervasive and we move to a more digital society, the impact grows beyond just those in the technology world.
Women hold approximately twenty percent of technology jobs, 4% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, hold 10% of board seats on Fortune 500 companies, receive 7% of Venture Capital (VC) Funding, make up just 16% of the top 1% (billionaires) and earn 28% less than men. Yet, is is proven that teams with both men and women are more profitable (greater ROI of 21%), smarter, faster, more innovative. In fact, groups with both men and women participating, their collective group IQ actually rises, regardless of individual IQ. In addition, McKinsey estimates that gender parity could actually result in an increase in GDP of up to $4 trillion.
Currently I am employed by Oracle, as a Director in the Chief Architect Office working on Java standards. In that role, I serve as an international speaker engaging the 10 million+ Java developer community worldwide – primarily men. I love my job, but as a woman working in technology, I can tell you that just doing your job will not get you anywhere. To survive you must be exceptional – every single day. To thrive, you need to manage perceptions, increase your visibility, and expand your influence. In order to do that you need sponsors, mentors, and allies. I am fortunate to have many, but I work to seek them out on a daily basis. Confidence is key – being a woman in some meetings and at conferences is not easy, but it is imperative for women to take our place at the table and be heard.
The lack of women in technology is a tough problem facing our society. In 2016, I chose to start a conversation around the idea of making a difference and an impact on closing the gender gap in technology, not because I was unhappy, but because it is an important issue. I chose to focus on how we, as a community of men and women, can be part of a change. It is important to talk about bringing more young women and girls into computing and I lead specific efforts around that topic as well.
However, my talk on the Top Ten Ways to Ally for Women in Technology focuses on specific actions that men and women can take to make a difference in closing the gender gap – at conferences, in the workplace, in meetings, forums and other industry events. In 2016, I gave this talk over five times in four countries – two times in California (Oakland and Los Angeles), in South Africa (Johannesburg), the UK (London) and Morocco (Casablanca). The fact that so many attendees participated in the conversation in these three continents is awesome!
We need to keep up the ally work and not be discouraged by mistakes – we are human and we will make mistakes. We can be a part of the change we wish to see by focusing on what brings us together – what we have in common as humans versus what divides us. I believe that the power of community can bring us to our goal of gender parity in technology – starting now.
So without further ado, here is a summary of my top ten ways to ally for women in technology. Slides are on my slidershare account. Check out the slides.
TOP 10 WAYS TO ALLY
- Think of ally as a verb – something you actually do.
- Listen – be open, kind, direct. Listen more than you speak.
- Be aware of assignment distributions – real work vs housework.
- Actively create a friendly environment for you and others around you – keep the women in technology (currently over 40% of women leave within 10 years).
- Speak up during meetings, forums, conferences – when you see interrupting, ‘mansplaining’, or women not being heard say something.
- Intervene in inappropriate conversations and situations – it is not enough to be silent.
- Be aware of assignment of specific character traits to women, e.g. abrasive, bossy, cold, aggressive.
- Level the playing field – encourage norms such as self-promotion and salary negotiation.
- Educate yourself about unconscious bias – we all have it, it is part of being human. You can learn a tremendous amount from mentoring someone different from you.
- Suggest women speakers – support, follow, include and encourage them.
I look forward to evolving and giving this talk many more times in 2017, and to continue the conversation around #womenintech starting in Atlanta next month with the Atlanta Women who Code group, and then…we will see!
Happy New Year!
Heather VanCura 