Gender Diversity Is Urgently Needed Say Prominent Women In Technology Posted on : Dec 08 - 2018

Injustice against women persists in the application of new technologies. While our values and norms evolve, the old values remain locked into the internet. Gender-biased algorithms are becoming rampant. And these are not the only problems that women face with this male-dominated industry. As the battle for equality inside and outside the workplace continues, it is time to step up to the mark and make the changes needed to create social justice. If we are to become the equal society that we aspire to or pretend to be, then we need to ensure diversity in the workplace.

I wanted to make a strong case for why gender diversity is so key to the success of the tech industries. But for once I'm keeping my mouth firmly shut and drawing upon the deeper and richer insights of eight prominent women in the sector. They bring a wealth of experience from roles ranging from CEO to software engineer. I asked each of them two questions.

(i) Why is gender diversity important in the tech community?

(ii) What can be done to create a better gender balance?

The interviews

Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE is CEO of social enterprise Stemettes, who work with  girls as young as 5 to inspire, encourage and support them into STEM related careers. They run hackathons, panel events, a mentoring programme and app to this end. Anne-Marie is also an international keynote speaker, board member and policy influencer.

Why is gender diversity important in the tech community?

AI: It's important because the tech community is about solving problems, and you're only as good as the perspectives you have when solving problems. If you're not able to ensure you have inclusive environments where all genders (and different types of people) can flourish, then you've got no chance at building technology that actually does good.

What can be done to create a better gender balance?

AI: There're oodles of suggestions on Better Allies, but in short, we need to make sure that we recruit, retain and promote all genders properly within the industry. It would also be amazing if the media was able to tell stories of all kinds of people who have done well in the past & present of tech. The stereotype is not only getting old, but is also harmful for our societal norms around technical people. Enough Sheldons (ie Big Bang Theory), more Katherines (a la Hidden Figures). View More