In the last several decades, women have risen to positions of power within the technical fields. While there are still issues such as a recent report that revealed 60 percent of women who work in Silicon Valley have experienced sexual harassment or other companies who have mentioned ‘lowering their standards’ to find qualified women to work in technology, women are still leading the way towards closing the gender gap. Women are very entrepreneurial in spirit and over the years have overcome many barriers in the workplace. Silicon Valley seems to be the final frontier for many women.
Let’s take a look at how women are changing the technology industry as we currently know it, and what’s in store in the near future.
Women are designing products and solutions for women.
In Glamour’s Women Under 35 Who Are Changing the Tech Industry’ report, a vast majority of the women leaders highlighted got to where they are because they invented something new to solve a women’s or family problem. For example, Ayah Bdeir v , 32, founder and CEO of LittleBits Electronics, created a way for people to build thier own small electronic products.
Women are influencing diversity in the workplace.
Recently, Women Who Code, held a series of live events to encourage more young women to get involved in systems engineering, which is generally where men have dominated the market for years. As more women from all nationalities and age groups start to enter these untouched areas of technology, more opportunities will open up.
Women are changing the ideas around work-life balance.
When Netflix announced it was expanding it’s maternity/parental leave to unlimited, several other technology firms also followed suit. Women and couples who want to experience a rewarding career without putting off parenting have a number of options now. Work-life balance means greater flexibilty, creative ways of working, and handling projects on the go.
Women are altering stereotypes in IT.
The IT department is no longer made up of a bunch of 30-something men wearing polo shirts. Now, with more women and minorities entering careers in IT, stereotypes are being busted and eliminated.
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