The role of women in technology has been a topic that has come up (and on a personal level) time and again in the past few months. Debates kicked off not only in the blogging world, but also from my own meets and greets round the world with other geeks, both girly and otherwise. Now don’t worry I am not about to get into (another) lament on the position (or lack there of) of women in new media, what I am interested is the role that women are taking on and opportunities that we do have!
But first an anecdote: It annoyed me that when doing some research for this posting I came across what I thought was an article about ‘leading ladies’ in the media industry. The article did not disappoint, indeed there were references to leading women, ‘leading’ because of the clothes they wore, husbands they were ‘attached to’ and subsequent position they held in ‘high society’. It is a sad reflection of modern times when a woman’s position is dependent upon not only the man that is supposed to be in her life, but a status that is defined by being part of a ‘married’ unit.
More hail to the woman that can hold her own and does not need to be held up on the metaphorical spousal pedestal.
Hmmm, but wait I have nearly fallen into the trap of not being able to get away from such prejudices. Which brings me onto the perceived role of women in technology. A quick survey of my ‘geek contacts’ and this was typically assumed to be part of a ‘behind the scenes’ or, at best, second in command role. Well that was not wholly surprising, what concerns me more is that there appears to be a crisis of confidence held by women already in the industry.
This becomes even MORE problematic if we consider that if women continue to keep (or be kept?) quiet then their involvement continues to be overlooked and this becomes an issue for other women working and wanting to get into the industry. BlogHer Women in Technology listserv. touched briefly on a related issue, talking ‘a lot’ about why women do not feel confident to speak out and get involved at technology events.
Following the discussion at the most recent Girly Geek Dinner, this is not a unique situation. The panel discussion highlighted how in the mind of ‘other geeks’ some of the most successful roles are envisaged to be held by young, mostly male, computing wizards who are able to penetrate the deep veil of programming language, database engineering and then tend to dominate discussions. Such skills that were seen as ‘unfathomable’ to the girly geek. Wrong. So wrong.
And so to return to the over-riding issue, that is not about the apparent ‘lack of skills’, but the lack of confidence to be identified as a leading lady in technology, particular amongst that most rare of creatures, the girly geek.
Which leads me onto the positives! Part of the seduction for me working and playing around with technology is the potential power and capabilities that it holds to enable my own research and to also improve my personal activities. Yes technology has penetrated every aspect of my life, so it’s hard not to enthuse about it! Moreover, precisely what is really exciting is the apparent narrowness of opportunities. Now as girly geeks we have a real chance to create, encourage and develop our own roles. And this need not be limited to just programming! We are free as the leading ladies of girly geeks to forge our paths to show how capable we are and to advance ourselves with and through technology. But we have to speak up!
Sarah Blow’s activism (because that’s what it is! and I’m hoping that she does not mind me describing her in this way!) as the Girly Geek creator and host is a leading light in how smart upstart-ed-ness is providing a vital model to encourage, generate connections and feel confident as a girly geek.
I would encourage other girly geeks to get in touch and to post about their own experiences and opportunities. So do feel free to post on the comments page and generate discussion threads. It will be really interesting to see if anyone shares similar experiences, or has ideas to increase confidence amongst women in the industry.
Ok, a tough order for to follow, but then just by reading this blog, getting involved with future events and generating your own discussions we’re moving things forward. And of course do attend the next Girly Geek Dinner event – also I hear rumour that another European city is about to be involved!
Must be time to get creative… much better than just being able to apply my lippy in a straight line or attach myself to a power spouse!
I’m proud to say that I am a leading lady and girly geek in my own right!
About Dr Mariann Hardey
I hold the position of Lecturer in Social Media Marketing at Durham Business School. I also spend too much time enjoying social technologies, media+ stuff. That'll make me a Geek then. And a gal.
