Technology has the potential to empower women by providing access to resources, mentorship, and opportunities in various fields, especially in the digital economy. Despite these advantages, women remain significantly underrepresented in the tech industry, facing challenges such as lack of role models, workplace harassment, and pay disparity. Solutions such as targeted company initiatives and fostering diversity in tech can help retain female talent and promote equity in the sector.

1. How does technology
empower women?

2. Technology allows you to…
CONNECT
ACCESS
BYPASS
REACH
OUT

3. Organize and connect a
community
«
Being
connected,
heard,
and
externally
validated
within
a
global
community
provides
many
women
the
courage
and
support
they
need
to
become
change
agents
at
home
»
Jensine
Larsen,
founder
of
the
global
women’s
network
and
online
forum
World
Pulse

5. Access inspiring mentors

6. Access remote markets

7. Sell your products
everywhere

8. Access funds

11. Access information

14. Testify more easily

15. Testify more easily

16. Testify more easily

17. Reach out to others

18. Have a voice

19. Have a voice

20. Give visibility to remote
issues

21. Democratize social activism

22. Provide real time data

23. Alert in real time

24. Alert in real time

25. Alert in real time

26. Access to jobs
“Sama”
means
equal.
Samasource
connects
poor
women
and
youth
to
training
and
employment
in
the
digital
economy.

27. Access to education

28. Access to healthcare

29. Access to healthcare

30. Accelerate communication
pace

31. Videos spread fast online

33. Become citizen journalists
'no-­‐cuts,
no
censorship'
approach

34. Bypass traditional structures
and hierarchies
Technological
disrupIon
tears
through
social
norms,
regulatory
structures,
and
adjusts
the
balance
of
power
between
stakeholders.

35. Challenge prevailing power

36. Change the narrative

37. WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN
TECHNOLOGY!

38. The future will be shaped by
technology

39. We need Women @ the frontier

42. Better opportunities
• The number of ICT positions in the EU has grown by 4%
since 2000, 7 times the evolution of overall
employment.
• Engineering jobs grow faster than all other jobs in the US
• Female engineers earn 33% more than women in other
fields
• Only 13% of the engineers are women…

43. Larger income
“In
a
world
where
95%
of
all
jobs
now
have
a
digital
component,
encouraging
women
and
girls
in
ICT
is
criIcal.”
–
Hamadoun
Touré,
Secretary-­‐General
of
the
InternaIonal
TelecommunicaIon
Union
ConnecIng
women
through
the
use
of
technology
can
yield
incredible
returns
in
social
and
economic
development;
developing
economies
could,
for
example,
see
an
increase
of
$13
–
18
billion
in
their
GDPs
if
the
number
of
girls
and
women
currently
online
worldwide
were
doubled
(Intel’s
“Women
and
the
Web”
Report
2012).

44. And yet, it is still a boy’s club

45. Google’s first set of diversity
statistics, released in May 2014

47. Source:
Apple
diversity
website

48. In tech conferences, we mostly hear
men’s voices, visions and opinions

51. And the numbers of women in
tech are dropping!
• Women make up a tiny fraction, roughly 15%, of people
working in technical roles in the tech industry. And
amazingly, that percentage is dropping, not rising.
• Multiple studies have found that the proportion of
women in the tech workforce peaked in about 1989 and
has been steadily dropping ever since.
Source:
American
AssociaIon
of
University
Women

52. Source:
American
AssociaIon
of
University
Women
Source:
Apple
Diversity

53. Why?
• Most have very few female role models and colleagues.
• Surveys find 23% to 66% report experiencing sexual harassment
or seeing it happen to others.
• Half the respondents to my survey said they've been treated in a
way they find hostile, demeaning or condescending, and a third
said their bosses are friendlier and more supportive with their male
colleagues.
• Women report being encouraged to move out of pure tech into
support functions, which offer less pay, are less prestigious and
have limited upward mobility.
• A 2014 Glassdoor analysis concluded that women in tech are paid
less than their male colleagues, with another 2014 study putting the
salary gap at 12%.

54. The Athena Factor
• After 10 years of work experience, “The Athena
Factor” found, 41% of women in tech leave the
industry, compared with 17% of men.

55. Forty-­‐one
percent
of
highly
qualified
scienIsts,
engineers,
and
technologists
on
the
lower
rungs
of
corporate
career
ladders
are
female.
But
more
than
half
(52%)
drop
out.
Why?
To
beger
understand
the
scope
and
shape
of
female
talent,
the
Athena
Factor
research
project
studied
the
career
trajectories
of
women
with
SET
credenIals
in
the
private
sector.
It
found
5
powerful
"an.gens"
in
corporate
cultures.
• Women
in
SET
are
marginalized
by
hosIle
macho
cultures.
Being
the
sole
woman
on
a
team
or
at
a
site
can
create
isolaIon.
• Many
women
report
mysterious
career
paths:
fully
40%
feel
stalled.
• Systems
of
risk
and
reward
in
SET
cultures
can
disadvantage
women,
who
tend
to
be
risk
averse.
• Finally,
SET
jobs
include
extreme
work
pressures:
they
are
unusually
Ime
intensive.
• Moreover,
female
agriIon
rates
spike
10
years
into
a
career.
Women
experience
a
perfect
storm
in
their
mid-­‐
to
late
thirIes:
They
hit
serious
career
hurdles
precisely
when
family
pressures
intensify.
Companies
that
step
in
with
targeted
support
before
this
"fight
or
flight
moment"
may
be
able
to
lower
the
female
agriIon
rate
significantly.
• This
study
features
13
company
iniIaIves
that
address
this
female
brain
drain.
Some,
for
example,
are
designed
to
break
down
female
isolaIon;
others
create
on-­‐ramps
for
women
who
want
to
return
to
work.
These
iniIaIves
are
likely
to
be
"game
changers":
They
will
allow
many
more
women
to
stay
on
track
in
SET
careers.

56. Increasing attention of tech
companies on diversity challenges
• Industry giants Apple and Twitter have published diversity audits
and pledged to do more to increase diversity in their workforce.
• Janet Van Huysse, Twitter’s Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion
put it simply: “As we look ahead, we see opportunity rather than a
challenge.”
• Companies currently looking to appoint Heads of Diversity include
Airbnb, Asana and Dropbox. Those recognised by Diversity Inc. as
making the most effort to increase diversity this year include
Novartis, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Procter & Gamble.
• This has become a mainstream issue, a competitive business
imperative.

57. Source:
Apple
diversity
website

61. Mark Zuckerberg paternity
leave

62. The tech world is changing
Women need to be part of it!

64. Small words can have a big
effect

65. Many messages hold women
back

67. We need new role models

68. We need to teach girls to code

69. We need to teach girls to code

70. We need more female engineers

73. We need new toys

74. More than just a princess

76. We need new start up
founders

78. We need to feel safe online

79. Take back the tech

82. We need to portray women
differently

83. We need to actively look for
women speakers

84. We need new tech spaces

85. We need to find mentors

86. We need to find mentors

87. We need more women in tech
events

88. What about you?
When did you speak at a conference?
When did you mentor a young woman?
When did you write an article about your
experience?