By Emily Kate Pope
This summer, we've seen a litany of big technology companies release demographic data about their workforces. This diversity parade, as the New York Times calls it, began when Google published a blog post sharing the demographic breakdown of its employees’ genders and ethnicities. It revealed that 70 percent of its employees are men, and 91 percent are white and Asian. LinkedIn, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest soon followed suit, showing a consistent data breakdown and similar approach to addressing the issue (e.g., release the data, admit that your company has a lot of work to do, list some relevant programs and initiatives).
Far from surprising, the data confirmed what most of us already knew: white men make up the overwhelming majority of the tech workforce. There’s no denying that this is a complex issue involving multiple facets of our society -- from education policy to hiring techniques -- and there are legitimate reasons that tech companies struggle to hire and retain women and minorities. For instance, Google sites that, “Women earn roughly 18 percent of all computer science degrees in the United States. Blacks and Hispanics each make up under 10 percent of U.S. college grads and each collect fewer than 10 percent of degrees in CS majors.”
However complex, closing the gender gap is a problem worth solving; not only because it’s the right thing to do, but research shows that more diverse teams perform better financially, particularly when women occupy a significant proportion of top management roles.
And we’ll also need women and minorities to help us fill the 1.4 million computer specialist job openings that the U.S. Department of Labor projects will exist by 2020. The solution may take many forms, but the fact is that we have to start somewhere, and we have to start now.
Below are five organizations whose mission and approach aim to bring gender equality to the tech industry through education and mentoring programs, financial support, creative marketing campaigns, and thoughtful research.
1. National Center For Women in Information Technology (www.ncwit.org)
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is a consortium of over 500 prominent corporations, academic institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits working to increase women's participation in technology and computing.
The group's projects and campaigns encourage reform across the full education and career spectrum; from policy reform in K-12 computing education to connecting new startups with talented female candidates. It is also committed to providing evidence-based research to arm people with the information they need to make a difference. With its systematic approach, and support from the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Intel, you can be sure NCWIT is in it for the long haul.
2. Women 2.0 (women2.com)
Women 2.0 is a media company that facilitates content, community, and events to promote a meritocratic business landscape. Founded in 2006 as a side project for Shaherose Charania, Women 2.0 has grown from a networking event hosted in various apartments to “the leading brand for the next generation of technology leaders.” The company's blog showcases top females in the startup world and shares multiple perspectives on closing the gender gap.
Although its name would suggest that Women 2.0 focuses solely on women’s issues, it's positioned as a place for all innovators and entrepreneurs to share their experiences, advice, and support to help people from all walks of life achieve their business dreams.
3. Made With Code (www.madewithcode.com)
Launched in May 2014, Made with Code is Google’s initiative to inspire young women to take an interest in coding and also to close the gender gap in tech. With plenty of celebrity endorsement, and $50 million investment from Google, the campaign is designed to showcase women and girls who are using code in creative ways to make a difference -- whether it's by developing an innovative mobile app, designing jewelry, or cleaning up their local communities. Made With Code also encourages girls to learn coding through introductory projects and resources, and it attempts to sustain their interest by building events and community around girls and coding.
4. General Assembly’s Opportunity Fund (generalassemb.ly/opportunity-fund)
General Assembly is an educational institution dedicated to empowering students to find the work they love by equipping them with the most relevant skills of the 21st century. (Full disclosure, I work as a content producer at GA.) The GA Opportunity Fund offers scholarships to underrepresented groups to participate in the Web Development Immersive course. Partnering with Google, Microsoft, Paypal, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and hip-hop artist Nas, the Opportunity Fund currently offers fellowships for women, minorities, and veterans. Fellows emerge as employable web developers with access to a global network of employers; what’s more, each Fellow volunteers 100+ hours to mentoring youth in partnership with select technology education nonprofit organizations, including Black Girls Code, CoderDojo, and CodeNow.
5. Girls Who Code (girlswhocode.com)
Similar to Made with Code, Girls Who Code works to “inspire, educate, and equip girls with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.” It hopes to reach “gender parity” in computer science fields and has a goal of providing computer science education and exposure to 1 million young women by 2020. The organization's approach includes partnering with leading educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop a new model for computer science education that pairs "intensive instruction in robotics, web design, and mobile development with high-touch mentorship and exposure led by the industry’s top female engineers and entrepreneurs.” Girls Who Code offers school-year clubs and summer immersion programs nationwide.
