It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in tech, especially open source, but their contributions speak for themselves. Tech has long had a diversity problem, but in open source, it’s even worse. U.S. Bureau of Labor data shows that 19.4% of software developers are women, but according to a 2017 GitHub open source survey, 95% of respondents were men and just 3% were women (1% identified as non-binary). The reasons are various, but one key reason may simply be that open source communities can be unfriendly to women developers. According to that same GitHub survey, it’s not that women developers don’t want to contribute to open source projects. Actually, 68% of the women surveyed said they are “very interested” in contributing to open source, but are significantly less likely to do so than men (45% compared to 61%). Even so, we do have a rising number of women open source stars who are contributing to and/or maintaining open source projects.

Women are still under-represented in fields such as computing, engineering, mathematics and physics, finds a UNESCO report. A workforce highly qualified in science and tech disciplines is vital to filling the skills shortage as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers pace. Strenuous efforts need to be made to address the gender gap at all levels of academia and the workplace, UNESCO warns. Women remain a significant minority in the scientific fields driving the digital revolution, amid a general skills shortage that’s holding back progress. The UNESCO Science Report 2021 found that women are still under-represented in fields such as computing, digital information technology, engineering, mathematics and physics. The report authors advise that strenuous efforts need to be made at government, academic and corporate levels to address this gender imbalance. The challenge is to attract and then retain women in these subject areas and maintain momentum in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Here is a brief round-up of information and news that crossed NCWIT’s radar recently and which we think will be of interest to you. The practices or content of the news gathered (while not endorsed or vetted by NCWIT) is meant to spark new conversations and ideas surrounding the current diversity statistics and trends in the tech workforce: Did you know that policy interventions can help improve equity in colleges and universities?; Did you know that many K-12 educators believe current computing curricula do not meet the needs of a diverse student body?; Did you know that diverse teams are good for businesses’ bottom lines?

This one-hour panel discussion will provide you with insights on creating meaningful culture and enabling innovation in your organization. You will learn to lead with empathy, allowing you to stay in sync with your team!

The phrase ‘seeing is believing’ is too often splashed across ad campaigns or sewn onto novelty cushions. But despite its tedious overuse, it remains remarkably true: being able to visualize yourself achieving a certain result dramatically improves your chances of actually doing it. This is particularly relevant in industries where equal representation remains a pipedream, such as in the world of technology. Role models have the ability to influence our decision-making. Seeing someone that looks like you, sounds like you, or that shares a similar background to you doing something admirable works as visual proof that you can do it too. It provides confirmation that your goals are attainable. The power of visualization is staggering: it can transform whole belief systems, demolish preconceptions, and inspire and motivate the next generation of doers to dream big and work hard. It can also help in planning career paths, overcoming set-backs, taking risks and staying motivated in the knowledge that the destination is within arm’s reach. The stark lack of gender diversity in technology is sadly nothing new. The European Commission estimates that women constitute 17% of IT specialists, and that 91% of raised capital in 2020 European tech was given to founding teams comprised solely of men. There are many contributing factors to this sad state of affairs, and being part of such a minority can be both intimidating and dissuading. The power of representation is one of many effective tools for making lasting change. Having greater visibility of successful women within the industry is a way to hammer home the fact that technology is not reserved for those who fit an outdated, stereotypical, ‘male, stale and pale’ mould.

COVID has compounded the disproportional stress women face in the IT workplace, putting careers at risk, as well as nearly a decade of progress toward gender equity. With the need to keep organizations humming through a global pandemic, this past year has placed considerable stress on IT professionals. Taken in total, however, the strains of adjusting to life and work under COVID-19 have fallen disproporationally on women in IT. A survey of 450 tech professionals by TrustRadius found that 57% of women report feeling burned out at work this year as a result of the pandemic, compared to 36% of men. Central to this has been an imbalance in added responsibilities due to the pandemic, both at home and in the workplace. Forty-three percent of women surveyed by TrustRadius report taking on extra responsibilities at work in the past year, compared to 33% of men. At home, 29% of women have taken on a greater childcare burden, versus 19% of men who said the same. And 42% of women have taken on the bulk of the housework during the pandemic, compared to 11% of men. Moreover, women have been twice as likely as men to have lost their jobs or been furloughed during the pandemic. All told, nearly 3 million American women have left the workforce, whether due to layoffs or having chosen to leave their jobs as a result of the added responsibilities.

With all its horrific challenges, an unforeseen upside of covid is that it forced us to enter a global village. Astonishingly, it opened doors for us in ways we couldn’t have imagined … created opportunities to expand our horizons. Women around the globe were called upon to use our ingenuity and re-harness technology … to create workarounds … and discover new and better ways of doing things. So come share your talents and triumphs at witi this june - and let 's celebrate ingenuity! The witi (women in technology international) 27th annual summit will feature insights, inspirations, and action items from tech-savvy women worldwide.

If/ThenSheCan -- The Exhibit" at NorthPark Center in Dallas features life-size statues of women STEM stars. The bright orange sculptures were created by 3D scanning and 3D printing. The exhibit is sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies in partnership with NorthPark. The bright orange sculptures created by 3D scanning and 3D printing are designed to inspire girls (and boys, too) to think about the careers they can have if they add science, technology, engineering and math to their playlist. The exhibit is sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies in partnership with NorthPark. It’s being heralded as the largest collection of female statues ever assembled in one place and is the centerpiece of the Dallas-based foundation’s encompassing multimedia If/Then Initiative. There are more than 100 statues in the mall’s central courtyard, and another 14 stand resolutely at the base of the food court and theater escalator. Each has a QR code that links to a webpage of background, photos, videos and stories.

Tory Burch has helped thousands of women entrepreneurs through her eponymous foundation and its education programs, but very few recipients of her coveted one-year business fellowship have founded biotech or science-based companies. Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and cofounder of genomics technology company Caribou Biosciences, says “being a brilliant scientist doesn’t automatically make someone a brilliant business person.” Saklayen will receive $10,000 for business education, up to $50,000 in research supplies, and access to other Tory Burch fellows as well as the Innovative Genomics Institute‘s network of scientists. The institute is a nonprofit, academic research organization founded by Doudna with an aim of applying research to real-world problems.

The NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award recognizes technical women whose lifetime contributions have significantly impacted the landscape of technological innovation, amplifying the importance of capitalizing on the diverse perspectives that girls and women can bring to the table. Pioneer in Tech Award recipients also serve as role models whose legacies continue to inspire generations of young women to pursue computing and make history in their own right. Dr. Gladys West started her career at Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, now called the Naval Surface Warfare Center, in 1956, and she worked there for 42 years as a mathematician and computer programmer. When she began, she was the second Black woman ever to be hired at the site, and one of only four Black employees total. Inspired by the civil rights movement that was unfolding around her, she countered prejudice within her workplace through hard work and intellectual achievement.