Presented at Carolina Women In Computing Conference, February 2016: A talk about what happens to women in Technology when they leave, the culture of tech that causes women to leave, and how women in college and the industry can contribute to attaining and retaining more women in technology.

1. THE CULTURE OF
TECH: WOMEN
UNINVITED
PRESENTED BY AMANDA BLAIR
FROM QUILMONT LLC

2. Women In IT
• Women Make Up More Than Half The Workforce: About
56%
• Approximately 30% Of Positions In The IT Industry Are
Held By Women
• “Google, Facebook, Apple And Other Big Tech
Companies Released Figures Showing That Men
Outnumbered Women 4 To 1 Or More In Their
Technical Sectors.” –LA Times
BUT
• Women Are Not Staying In The Industry!
• “53 percent of the women who did start their careers
in tech later took a position in another industry, versus
just 31 percent of men who did that.” –SiliconBeat

3. The Culture of Tech
• Stereotypes
• Unspoken Judgement
• General Culture
• Unconscious Bias

4. Work Environments Push Us Away
• Inadequate Pay
• Lack Of Flexible Work Arrangements
• Little Support From Co-Workers, Family, School Mates
• Little Encouragement, Sometimes Berating From Society

5. Lack of Role Models
• There Are Too Few Women In IT
• This Creates A Competitive Atmosphere
• Men Are Sometimes Our Only Example: Less Than 5% of
CEOs are Women
• There Aren’t Enough Mentors
• The Media Can Contribute To This
Sheryl Sandberg – COO Of
Facebook And Creator Of Lean In

6. Your Importance
• Begin At Home, Encourage Your Children
• Gain Family Support
• Befriend The IT Women At School Or Work – Email, Call,
Skype!
• Stick Together!
• Use Social Media To Your Advantage – Lean In, LinkedIn
And Facebook Groups
• Further Your Education
• Promote Awareness

7. What about Schools?*
• Recruitment Programs, Clubs And Groups
• Acceptance Of Women And Their Participation
• Mentor Programs
• STEM Encouragement For Women
• Scholarships And Classes
• A New Way Of Looking At Classes:
“College Programs That Divide Students By Experience
Level Will Help To Alleviate Fears Of Women Who Are
Inexperienced In Tech And Thus Less Likely To Pursue
It.”—Forbes.Com

8. What Can We Do In The Industry?
• Spread Awareness And Social Support In Your
Business
• Resource Groups : Are You Being Heard?
• Begin Breaking Up Stereotypes
• Remember: Role Models Can Be The Most Important

9. CodeIT
• Pilot Program In Spring Of 2015
• 8 Women In Computing From The Technical Schools
Of South Carolina
• Included A Week Long Coding Camp That Ended With
A “Code Tank”
• Met Business Owners And Managers In The Greenville
Area
• Speaking Engagements With Professionals From The IT
Field

10. CodeIT
NEXT Innovation Center In Greenville, SC –
A Variety Of Businesses Housed In One
Building, Including Small Companies And
Entrepreneurs, To Connect Like-Minded
Individuals And Cultivate Innovative Ideas.
Clemson University – The Computing
Department Showing Us A Game Created
To Teach Younger Children How To Code,
Using Alice And A Dance Game.

11. CodeIT
CU-ICAR Facilities – Research And Development (In Collaboration With Clemson
University) Of High Tech Machinery, Vehicle Prototyping And Manufacturing. This Was
Part Of A “Tech Neighborhood”, Including Schools And Businesses That Were Centered
Around Engineering.

12. CodeIT
• Experienced New Software Through
The Program
• Create Your Own Adventure Style App
For Android
• App Was Created With Android Studio
• Aimed To Use For Teaching Purposes,
Including Language Teaching
• We Also Gained Experience With:
• Writing Problem Statements And
Reports
• Proposal Writing
• Project Creation And Presentation
Interact With
Adventure
Screenshot

13. AITP
• Association Of IT Professionals
• National Group With Local Chapters
• Professional And College Level Chapters
• Gender Inclusive
• Our Local Chapter Seeks Out
• Networking Opportunities
• Volunteer Opportunities – Our Brightwater Project
• Hands-On Experience
• Participation In The NCC

14. AITP
AITP NCC Omaha, Nebraska 2015 – We Received Honorable Mention In 4
Categories And One Of Our Participants Received The 3rd Place Trophy In
The Security Category.

15. AITP
Students Participate Every Other Week, Teaching Technology
Classes At Brightwater, An Adult Community In Carolina

16. Resources : Immerse Yourself!
• CodeIT Academy -- sctechsystem.edu/codeitacademy
• Engaging Creative Minds --
engagingcreativeminds.org
• WIT Mentoring Program --
womenintechnology.org/mentoring
• ARA Mentoring Program – aramentors.com
• Grand Strand Technology Council – gstechcouncil.org
• Join A Lean In Circle – leanincircles.org
• ACM-W: https://women.acm.org/
• Email Me: ablair@quilmont.com

17. Questions?

18. Sources
• Statistics: https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-latest-
stats-on-women-in-tech
• LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-
women-tech-20150222-story.html
• Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-
progress/2012/06/20/stem-fields-and-the-gender-
gap-where-are-the-women/#1516e32333a9
• SiliconBeat:
http://www.siliconbeat.com/2014/10/23/women-with-
tech-educations-shun-tech-jobs-study-finds/
• GitHub Study:
http://www.iflscience.com/technology/women-are-
seen-better-coders-only-if-their-gender-isnt-known