Organizations that are the most inclusive of women in top management achieve 35% higher return on equity (ROE) and 34% better total return to shareholders versus their peers – and research shows gender diversity to be particularly valuable where innovation is key, according to research conducted by Illuminate Ventures.
Despite women making up more than 50% of the population, women are conspicuously absent in IT. Only 3% of tech companies were founded by women, and, of venture-backed startups, only 1.3% have a female founder and only 6.5% have a woman CEO. Women make up half of all consumers, but by not having their voice included in the development of today’s new technology, the world is missing out on a wave of new technology and products that would appeal to both genders.
Women in IT has always been low, but today it is even lower than 30 years ago. Today, women represent 12% of all computer science graduates. In 1984, they represented 37% of all computer science graduates.
Much of this has to do with exposure to computer science before college and during college. According to Code.org, nine out of ten schools don’t even offer computer science classes, and in 28 out of 50 states, computer science doesn’t count towards a math or science credit.
This is why I love the focus on more women in Computer Science! Join our movement to get more women in Tech!
In Japan, our team hosted a great event for a “Girls Night Out” around the cloud!
If you are interested in hosting a “Bluemix Girls Night Out” in your region, please let me know!
