Empowering Women in Technology

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Empowering Women in Technology

• Dana Coffey - Atlanta Code Camp 2009

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Topics

• A Little Bit About Me
• Declining Rates of Women in Technology
• Our Obstacles
• Our Strengths
• How to Empower Women in Technology
• Microsoft Initiatives
• Other Networking Opportunities
• Summary
• Resources

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A Little Bit About Me

• Was an administrative assistant until 1997.
• IT experience and Community Involvement
• Earned Microsoft MVP award for ASP.NET twice
• Member of the ASP Insiders
• Former Author of www.aspforblondes.com
• Recent Involvement in Women in Technology
  Initiatives
• Web http//crazeegeekchick.com
• Twitter _at_crazeegeekchick
• Email danacoffey_at_gmail.com

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Declining Rates of Women in Technology

• While 50 of management and specialty positions
  in the US are held by women, the number of women
  in IT is declining.
• The number of women earning undergraduate Science
  and Tech degrees has fallen from 34 1984 to
  around 20

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Our Obstacles

• Education System has been discouraging girls from
  entering the Tech field
• Women already in the field have been dissuading
  girls from entering the field
• Work/Home Balance.
• Pay rate of 20 less than our male peers.
• Traditional male model in business Diversity
  initiatives that backfire
• Perception of male technical professionals not
  understanding contribution to the bottom line

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Our Strengths

• COMMUNICATION
• Natural Collaborative Consensus Builders
• Natural Change Agents
• Ability to juggle many roles and responsibilities
• Natural leadership
• Company thinkers/nurturers
• Fresh perspective
• Caring personally invested in success of
  subordinates and peers

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How to Empower Women in Technology

• End the focus on differences
• Quantify business value of women in the Tech
  workforce
• Reach out to young women (volunteer to teach
  classes, reach out to schools)
• Mentorship
• Networking (both within an organization and
  without)
• Community involvement
• Pay it forward

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Microsoft Initiatives

• Womenbuild
• Designed to address how do we attract and grow
  Women in Technology through creative
  out-of-the-box thinking
• Combines personal interaction and networking with
  the use of LEGO Bricks as a conceptual modeling
  tool, part of the LEGO Serious Play Program
  (LSP)
• Digigirlz.
• High Tech Camps
• On-line classes
• NCWIT Partnership

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Other Networking Opportunities

• WITI (Women in Technology International)
• Atlanta WIT
• National WIT
• Girl Geek Dinners
• User Groups
• Twitter
• Geek Girl Blogs
• Talk to your area MS Reps!

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Summary

• Weve come a long way, baby!
• More diverse IT departments make flexible,
  competitive IT departments
• We need to reach out to other women both
  beginning their careers and already within IT
  Mentorship is key
• Networking and activism helps
• Focus on the VALUE not victim mentality
• Give Back Pay it Forward

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Resources

• WITI (http//www.witi.com)
• WomenBuild on Facebook (http//www.facebook.com/
  group.php?gid47027341816)
• NCWIT (http//www.ncwit.org/)
• Atlanta WIT (http//www.witinc.org)
• WIT (http//www.womenintechnology.org/ )
• Girl Geek Dinners (http//girlgeekdinners.com/
  )
• Geek Girl Blogs (http//www.geekgirlblogs.com/ )
• http//crazeegeekchick.com