TAKE AWAY JOURNAL

Amanda Roberts
12/12/16
Introduction:
When coming to my first class in this course, I had no idea what to expect. I was
enrolled in it as a part of my FIG, and I wasnt sure how or if it was going to help me as I
pursue a business degree at the University of Washington. Throughout the course, I
learned much more than I had expected, including ways that I can go about being a
woman and attempting to gain respect and confidence in the business world, something
that is also dominated by men. While this class didnt necessarily peak my interest in
tech enough to cause me to change my career path to something that encompasses it, it
allowed me to learn about the field and recognize the kinds of unique opportunities is
presents.
IT INDUSTRY AND GENDER ROLES
As stated in numerous articles, the technology industry is one of the fasted growing,
employing more than 6.7 million peoplethat number growing every year. It is also one
of the most profitable, with even teenage tech interns making almost $2000 more per
month than the median U.S. household income (Bloomberg). Technology is leaking into
every aspect of human life, most people relying on it for nearly everything. Every single
industry on the market, it finding ways to utilize technology to make things more
efficient and cost effective. Additionally, cybersecurity is of growing importance due to
the incredible use of technology. It is no question why the tech industry is growing so
quickly and why it has probably the greatest potential of job opportunity. This being true,
it seems strange that the industry has a very evident lack of female employees and
female leadership.
The lack of women in the tech industry is undeniable. From a very young age, things like
computers and video games are marketed towards boys, eventually leaving a lack of
girls familiar or even interested in these things, preventing them from pursuing tech
careers in the future. This often causes men to simply assume that women are not
interested in tech, or that women are not as capable are excelling in tech related fields
because they are not as familiar with them from such a young age. Lack of females in IT
also means a lack of females in executive positions of IT companies.
Statistics show that women have a lot more to offer than they are often given credit for.
They can be better at communicating, and they can offer a different perspective that
men may not even think of simply because they are men.
Related Takeaways:

Women are extremely useful to have on

executive boards for many reasons
Women are generally more thoughtful and
could use better language in stressful
situations
Women offer diverse thinking to executive
boards and their participation often results in
higher profits

IT jobs are paying qualified people A LOT of

money because there is a lack of them in the
U.S. for how many jobs there are
It makes complete sense that the IT industry is
growing (20181.4 million jobs), so why arent
people utilizing this?
If more people go into IT, will it become less
lucrative?
Only 29% of 1.4 million open IT jobs will be
filled by women

Mobiletrending area in IT hiring

IT fields have benefits that EVERYONE,
seriously everyone, should consider
The IT industry is almost recession proof
o Technology is the thing that helps SAVE
people from recessionskeeps certain
industries secure and prevents
problems
There is an extreme lack of women in IT fields
and 56% of women in tech leave employers
mid-career
Entrepreneurship is on the rise for women for
several reasons
o Women are creating companies that
THEY would want to work at
o When they create the company the
start at the topdont have to break
through any glass ceiling
o High probability of being successful
(statistically)
o Flexible time schedulesomething that
women with families are attracted to
Despite the difficulty, women are starting
businesses at 1.5x the national rate
Only 11% of all engineers in the US are women
These days, everyone uses technology for
nearly everything in lifeno wonder the
industry is growing at the rate that it is
There are so many different positions in the IT
fieldit isnt all what it the stereotype portrays
o You can still work in the IT field but
work in marketing, its not exclusive to
coding
The tech industry is also extremely widespread,
working in very large and established
businesses to start ups
The travel industry is influenced dramatically
by the tech industry, makes things much more
efficient
The travel industry makes up for 3% of
Washingtons total employment and accounted
for $14.2 billion in spending
Tech is making the travel industry more
competitive, as it allows users to compare
prices of different airlines and be more
knowledgeable about where they are going and
how much it should cost
People go more towards social media pages
than website to get information about a certain
businesscapitalizing on this industry is
incredibly important
Tech gives consumer what they desiremore
control. They dont have to believe/follow
certain information anymore because they
have endless amounts of it through the
internet.
Younger people want more active, adventurous
vacations while older generations want
comfortable vacations.
Guest SpeakerKathleen Jungk
Security jobs cannot be offshoreLOTS of
opportunity for employment
Someone in business can still be very
successful and fulfilled with a job involved in
technology

Security is so widespread that it is not

uncommon for people to move from a
completely unrelated path to working in
security
Cybersecurity, it seems, is something so
important yet something east to overlook when
working in certain fields
33% of all new jobs are IT related
You dont need to code to be in informatics!
Cloud security is changing the gamemaking
cybersecurity more simplified/easy to manage
Is it every hard for older tech users to adjust
with the times/is it hard to compete with
younger people that might be more
comfortable with new technologies?
Cybersecurity is something that is easily
overlooked by common people who dont have
to think about it much
Credit card courtesy in Spainthey dont like to
take your credit card out of your sight at any
time in order for you to trust that it is in safe
hands
Tech is dramatically changing health care for
the better, allowing patients to have more
information about their health
The internet can often cause people to selfdiagnose, preventing the doctor from doing
their job efficiently because the patient might
think they know better
Internet can ALSO make doctors appointment
more efficient, the patient could offer useful
information and suggestions that the doctor
might not have thought of
Better, faster, more affordable Rather than
trying to align the marketplace with doctors
interests, the solution was to align providers
with the interests of the marketplace
Communication in the health care industry is
much more accurate and efficient thank to the
introduction of new technologies, such as
smart phone apps and the cardiac arrhythmia
for example
Increasing access to health care without
increasing costs prevents wasted dollars and
more efficient and useful care that will solve
whatever medical concern an individual is
facing
Wearable technology is huge!! Can provide
extremely useful data
People who suffer from a problem are uniquely
equipped to solve it Tampon of the Future
Raising money for a womens-health
technology is incredibly hard, much harder
than it should be. Making it nearly impossible
simply because women are only 50% of the
populationridiculous
Privacy beats freemost people would pay
more money to do a medical test in the privacy
of their home rather than do it for free and
have to go to the doctor
Tech literally affects every industry on the
market
Physical newspapers becoming increasingly
less popular due to the immediacy the internet
provides

Social media is HUGEallows people to get

quick information and connect with one
another
Tech generally makes things more efficient,
allowing people to purchase tickets and get
info online
Elimination of the middle mantech allows
people to do things themselves
Diverse teams allow people to connect and
market to a broader audience
Advertising (what Im most interested in) is
largely based on social media now
Social media is cheap, use of internet is much
less expensive than other forms
Immediacy of information is HUGE
Live streams are a big deal
Teenage tech interns make almost $2000 more
per month than the median U.S. household
income (Bloomberg)
60% of tech companies have no female board
members and 50% have no female executives
less women are inspired to pursue tech
careers
Many companies, including tech, often
overlook female employee necessities such as
sufficient maternity leave, flexible schedules,
gender diversity programs
Women only earn 18% of all CS degrees
First computer programmer was a woman
nothing proves men are more suited in this
area!!
Giving women advice on how to succeed and
do better isnt sexistit helps them to achieve
more and go to greater heights
Women make significantly less money
compared to men76 cents to the mans dollar
Grace Hopperachieved incredible feats as a
woman during WWII. She didnt see herself as
any different or any less capable than the men
around her.
Stereotypes play an incredibly large role in
determining how men vs women are treated in
the work place
Women at the age of having children are less
desirable due to the risk they bring
Woman created the first computer code
COBOL
Outliers are given permission to be different
by great leaders
Bossy vs. Assertive
Man Up isnt a good stereotype, even though
men can sometime benefit from it
Men were the first to be given use of personal
computers
Get rid of the stereotypes! Hold men & women
at the same standards
Women dont apply for jobs unless they are
100% qualified because they dont want to
waste anyones timefollowing stereotype of
being polite, concerned about others over
themselves
More courses in tech should be taught at
introductory levels so that women are
encouraged to explore these subjects

Women arent inclined to join the tech industry

when they dont see themselves moving
up/getting promotions
Both women AND men underestimate womens
abilities
The geeky stereotype often forces a lot of
people away from STEM, they dont feel like
they fit in
In a gender-blind study of men and womens
coding, people often judged that womens
coding was better than mens
There is no evidence that supports that men
are more suited for the tech industry than
women
Women need more of an outlet to explore the
tech industry
People tend to higher the majorityif more
men are applying for a position, a man will
probably get hired
Women are often expected to do more
household tasks in the workplacefetching
drinks
Women often must go the extra mile in order
for their work to be seen as comparable to
their male counterparts
Women are taught from a young age to be
modest, leading them to keep work
accomplishments to themselves and
preventing them from getting promotions
Women go about demonstrating authority and
leadership in much different ways depending
on their culture
Nandini Ramaniit doesnt get easier once
youre in an executive position, you still must
work extra hard and demand respect
Its a reality that we live in a mans worlddo
we try and fight against it or work with it?
It is womens responsibility to look out for one
another and support each other in
accomplishing career goals
WOMEN DONT HAVE TO BE NICEif something
is making us uncomfortable, we have the right
to express it. We shouldnt feel pressure to
keep our mouths shut
Women need to be reminded of all of their
options
Women dont always have to do what is
expected of them or what will make everyone
else most comfortable
Feminine traits often mean a lack of toughness
and aggressiveness
Men accepted women into the work force but
not into the club
Computer has always been something that is
targeted towards men
Video games are often seen as something boys
enjoy more than girls
Women need to decide when it is worth it to
speak up and when they are willing to risk
ruining a relationship to put a man in his place
Some men genuinely dont realize that they are
being sexists, it is simply something that is a
part of our everyday lives

Relating tech to things that girls are interested

in, such as dresses, gets them interested and
gives them a reason to get involved
People need to recognize the incredible
importance for women to have a good balance
between work life and personal life
Women need to support and relate to one
another, having an outlet for this is very
beneficial because it can boost confidence and
allow women to learn from each others
experiences
Women need to know that their work is
important and valued
A certain level of demanding is necessary for
women to get the respect they deserve
Women need to gain experienceexperience
allows them to prove themselves and gain
respect
Dont allow yourself to get too offended or beat
downmen arent actively trying to belittle you
all the time
Sometimes all someone needs is a little nudge
to correct their behavior
Women must actively market themselves
Games are not always welcoming to young
women
Only 22% of people who make video games are
women
48% of game players in the United States are
women, but only 6% of women identify
themselves as gamers

Women are seen as less capable of being

gamers and are often criticized and face
being lashed out when they speak out
publically about it
Women are as sexualized in games rated
teen for ages 13 & up, as they are in
mature games for people over 16
There are examples in the gaming industry that
serve as both sex icons and feminists icons
Bodies of women are emphasized in games
Women can also be badass, kicking butt and
stuff
Some people can look past a characters body
time in order to admire the physicality

HISTORY OF WOMEN IN TECH

IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY

Diversity of any kind is something that is incredibly valuable and often overlooked.
According to new research, companies with more diversity are 45% more likely to
have a growth in market share over the previous year and 70% more likely to have
captured a new market. This can mean not only gender diversity but also racial
diversity. According to the National Science Foundation, African American and
Latina women combined earn only 5% of all CS degreed, with women overall
earning 18% of them. In the IT industry, women of color can often face more
obstacles than white women. Ina series of experiments explained by the New York
Times, more diverse groups were able to answer a variety of questions 58% more
accurately then groups without diversity. When people from different backgrounds
and cultures come together, they are able to give different perspectives into
solving problems and developing more thorough and accurate answers.
There is no evidence that supports that men are better than women at tech related
activities. In fact, in a blind study, womens coding was often chosen over mens.
Additionally, let us not forget that the first computer programmer was a woman.
There are countless numbers of women who have been able to succeed in tech, as
seen through the role model presentations done in our lab sections. The truth is
that women inspire women, and in order for more women of all races to get
involved they need the support, encouragement, and advice of other women in
order to feel confidence and value in their work.

Related Takeaways:
Almost everyone is a minority in some shape or
form
Everyone also has commonalities that we can
relate to
o Liking the same TV shows, being
interested in similar career fields
It is incredibly important to be aware of other
cultural tendencies so you can attempt to
understand them & so you can respect them
o Lauras chopstick story
Everyone likes to think that they appreciate
diversity until they have an instance where it
makes them uncomfortable or makes them feel
unfamiliar
Diversity can be scary at first--& thats okay!
Its important to recognize its importance & to
try to be understanding of it
Diversity is almost NEVER bad
o Rooney Rule
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses that
would be useful in different areas of the tech
industry
WITHIN the number of women involved in tech
there is an evident racial disparity
All helper robots (Siri, Alexa) are females and
all doer robots are typically malewhat does
this say?
Different kinds of people look for different
experiences when they plan certain vacations,
and most travelers rely heavily on some form
of word of mouth, making diversity incredibly
important when marketing
Younger people want more active, adventurous
vacations while older generations want
comfortable vacations.
Only a diverse group of people could
accurately assemble an app or other tourism
service that can appeal to all generations,
genders, and races. Different people want
different experiences and only that kind of
person can identify those desires.
Grace Hopperachieved incredible feats as a
woman during WWII. She didnt see herself as
any different or any less capable than the men
around her.
Stereotypes play an incredibly large role in
determining how men vs women are treated in
the work place
Outliers are given permission to be different
by great leaders
The geeky stereotype often forces a lot of
people away from STEM, they dont feel like
they fit in

In a gender-blind study of men and womens

coding, people often judged that womens
coding was better than mens
There is no evidence that supports that men
are more suited for the tech industry than
women
Women need more of an outlet to explore the
tech industry
People tend to higher the majorityif more
men are applying for a position, a man will
probably get hired
Nandini Ramaniit doesnt get easier once
youre in an executive position, you still must
work extra hard and demand respect
Relating tech to things that girls are interested
in, such as dresses, gets them interested and
gives them a reason to get involved
The question remains: How do we truly engage
girls in the IT subject?
Dr. Negin Dahya, Dr. Michelle Martin
Pick the brains of the members of the field that
have the most experience
Degrees are not a restraintmost degrees can
get you numerous opportunities in numerous
fields
Both speakers have Phds in education and
English Degrees
Different background offer different
perspectives and insights, multi-cultural
especially
Any type of experience is beneficial, whether it
was a bad or good experience
Money will take you certain placesfollow it
Determine how to become most supportive to
people of color
Eventually soul searching becomes necessary
Do what interests YOU
In education, children need to feel like they can
pursue whichever career they wantnot being
forced to see a certain path based off of their
gender or ethnicity
Villain in Hollywood is always dark
Sometimes all someone needs is a little nudge
to correct their behavior
GoRun project was presented by two femalesI
liked that because I felt like they had a
personal incentive
Interesting how several projects focused
around the well-being of others
Every project was very professional and well
doneI was impressed
I liked that both females and males talked
equally for most projects
Presenters in every group were very diversecoincidence?

HOW CAN WE SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS?

Many tendencies women have developed often prevent them from moving up in
their workplace. For example, an article by CIO points out that women naturally
keep to themselves while doing their work, not feeling the need to update
colleagues on their current projects and successes. Often times when ones boss
isnt aware of all of the individual work ANY employee is doing, he or she is less
inclined to give that person a promotion. It is important for women to learn that
their work is important and that they should share it with their coworkers and keep
their bosses updated on what they are accomplishing. This is a very easy thing
that women can do to gain more footing in their jobs and to eventually get
promoted to executive positions.

In my personal opinion, the most important way to get more women interested,
employed and retained in tech other male dominated fields is for women to expect
the respect they deserve. If a woman doesnt feel like she is getting the same
consideration and appreciation as her male counterparts, she should say
something. If a woman is asked to do household tasks at work like fetching a drink,
she should say no. As mentioned in an article by Catalyst, in most cases,
companies (and their employees) are not willfully discriminatingin fact, they
typically dont even realize that its happening. It is the responsibility of women in
the workforce everywhere to bring these issues to light and start pointing out the
reasons why diversity in certain companies is not being achieved.

Secondly, women need to support each other. As seen through the success in
Shelley Zaliss Girls Lounge having an outlet where women can relate to one
another is beneficial, allowing them to both boost confidence and learn from each
others experience. It is the responsibility of women everyone to put their best foot
forward to support each other and eliminate the stereotypes that hold them back
in the workplace.

W
ha
t
is
th
e
Pr
ob
le
m
?

Elementa
ry/Middle
School

Reinforci
ng
stereotyp
es at this
early age
-Not
enough
opportuni
ty for
girls to
get

Hi
gh
Sc
ho
ol
M
an
y
gir
ls
do
nt
ev
en
se
e

Colle
ge

Wom
en
are
not
give
n the
oppo
rtuni
ty to
start
with

Ea
rly
Ca
re
er
Ma
ny
ti
m
es
m
en
wil
l
be
hir

Mi
dCa
ree
r
Pro
mo
tio
ns
are
nt
giv
en
out
to
wo

Leaders
hip

-There
isnt
enough
women
who
make it
to this
level
-when
women
finally
reach

H
o
w
Ca
n
It

involved
in tech
-Children
arent
exposed
to the
tech
industry
or
educated
on it as a
part of
the
curriculu
m

Capitaliz
e on
children
s
curiosity!

te
ch
as
an
op
tio
n
Be
co
mi
ng
int
er
es
tin
g
in
so
m
et
hi
ng
fo
rei
gn
to
yo
u
be
co
m
es
ha
rd
at
thi
s
ag
e

M
or
e
uti
liz

out
any
prior
kno
wled
ge
-This
is
the
time
whe
n
wom
en
begi
n to
be
sexu
alize
d by
male
coun
terp
arts

Impl
eme
nting
intro
duct

ed
ov
er
wo
m
en
ev
en
if
th
ey
ar
e
eq
ual
ly
qu
ali
fie
d
Wo
m
en
fin
d
it
ha
rd
to
pr
ov
e
th
e
ms
elv
es
to
e
m
plo
ye
rs
ge
nd
er
eq
ual

me
n
as
oft
en,
ca
usi
ng
the
m
to
lea
ve
the
fiel
d
wo
me
n
are
se
en
as
ris
ky
to
hir
e
wh
en
the
y
are
at
the
ag
e
of
ha
vin
g
chi
ldr
en
ge
nd
er
eq
ual

this
level,
attitude
s
towards
them
dont
necess
arily
change

-women
need to
share
their
accomp
lishmen

Be
Im
pr
ov
ed
?

-Let boys
and girls
play with
whatever
toys/gam
es they
want to,
do not
limit
them
because
of their
gender
or race
-Start
teaching
basic
tech
skills to
both
boys and
girls

ati
on
of
pr
og
ra
m
s
su
ch
as
G
irl
s
W
ho
Co
de

All
o
wi
ng
w
o
m
en
to
ge
t
in
vo
lv
ed
in
th
eir
fr
ee
ti
m
e

ory
cour
ses
that
allow
wom
en to
expl
ore
the
tech
indu
stry
with
out
need
ing
any
prior
kno
wled
ge or
expe
rienc
e

ity
tra
ini
ng
in
th
e
wo
rk
pla
ce
bo
ar
ds
of
eq
ual
a
m
ou
nts
of
m
en
an
d
wo
m
en

ity
tra
ini
ng
wo
me
n
sh
oul
d
be
hir
ed
sol
ely
ba
se
d
on
wh
at
the
y
ha
ve
to
off
er

ts with
their
bosses
-women
need to
look out
for one
another
and
offer
advice
-women
have to
respect
fully
guide
men on
how to
improv
e
gender
equality
in the
workpla
ce