I don’t know how many of you have heard of SET Women so first of all I thought I should introduce the concept. It is an organisation set up to help tackle the issues sorrounding the lack of women in Science Engineering and Technology.
“Our ethos is to work in partnership and collaboration. SETwomen will
work closely with local or regional groups where they exist, to ensure strong
communications and feedback at all levels.”
So in line with their goals they’ve started doing some podcasting. They have some fantastic content and it really fits with the previous couple of posts by Maz on “Me Tarzan, You Jane” and “Geeks can be Chick(s)”. Their latest podcast is “Barriers for women entrepreneurs in science, engineering and technology” which is very much in line with our Girl Geek Dinner 2 Year anniversary panel discussion on Women, Technology and breaking down the barriers!
It seems to me that it’s time for companies to start looking at how they can help the industry to break down some of the barriers that women (and men) are coming across when trying to break into the tech industry. Only earlier today I got an e-mail from a company… (it actually doens’t matter which one… there are so many asking the same question!) …asking how they could help to encourage more girls into technology and requesting suggestions about why they don’t get many females applying for jobs with them. It’s not the first time that these questions have been raised and this isn’t the first large corporate to find that they are really struggling to find the women to fill the roles that they have! So we are looking for answers, AND looking to identify all the current barriers!
I’m encouraged by the fact that large organisations like the IBM’s, Microsoft’s and Google’s are recognising that there are issues within the industry and better than that they are also looking at how they can help to make a difference. In fact some of the smaller ones like Unboxed Consulting and Locayta are also doing their best to help the situation too! Some companies are even going as far as figuring out how they can get the govornment more involved, and others trying to put pressure on universities to encourage more women onto the technical courses.
Why look at what the current barriers are? Well unlike everyone else I’m not so sure that we the industry have actually identified all the barriers, and therefore aren’t really tackling the heart of the issue yet! It seems to me that people say that there are barriers but they never really get to the bottom of what those barriers are! So here’s your chance to bring to light some of the issues, maybe come up with a few solutions and ideas for now and in the future too!!
Do you work in the tech industry or have an interest in what is happening with it, if so what do you see the current barriers into the industry as being? Are they just social stereotype issues, is it a case of young people not being interested in technology and creating the technology of the future, or is it something else completely!? What are we missing! Is there something MASSIVE that is being missed in all these discussions about bridging the gender divide? Or is this yet another case of finding the Tipping Point…
If you want to get actively involved in putting some of those ideas into practice then give it a go! Now there’s a scary thought… following through an idea and putting it into practice. If it sounds scary to you and you don’t want to try that alone then you can look to the resources section of this blog and you’ll find a section called Girly Geek Related Links, there are lots of organisations across the UK and I’m sure around the world that would love to help you and get you involved! (Including the Girl Geek Dinners!) If I’m missing some key links then send me an e-mail or pop them in the comments section of this post and I’ll make sure they get added! We are constantly looking for ways to help and that means using the network of networks… and making sure people who are willing to put time, money or resources into such organisations should be given every opportunity to do so!
After all more hands, brains and input is better than one, this is what I call the power of the community! (industry and the geeks! (girl geeks and guy geeks!) Lets make a difference and shape the future of the technology industry by investing in the future generation!
About Sarah Lamb
Sarah is the founder of the Girl Geek Dinners & GirlyGeekdom. She is a lover of gadgets, geeky things and sport! Find out more about her on her website.
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