The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911. The day is actually celebrated worldwide, and not just on one day, but from late February through March and beyond.
This year, thousands of events are occurring to mark and encourage the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women’s groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day. The activities span the realm of possibilities for women, including women in tech.
There were more than 340 events scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom alone to celebrate International Women’s Day. For example, an event on March 6, focused on women’s work in creative and technology industries was scheduled in London’s tech hub. And in a variation of Girls Who Code, in Luxembourg they were holding “Mums and Girls Code”– a fun introductory workshop in coding for mothers and their daughters.
Here in the USA, 186+ events were scheduled for International Women’s Day. You can see a complete list here. The list of events is inspiring, promoting awareness, culture, and learning for women and girls across the nation. Many of the IWD events are also online, including webinars, for people who don’t have time to visit a particular event.
Later this March, I’m personally very excited to be speaking at SXSW Interactive on the subject of furthering women’s roles in technology. My session at 3:30 p.m. March 14 (JW Marriott Room 407), “Boardroom or Baby: The Choices Women Have in Tech” will address closing the gaps in opportunities for women in technology and achieving work/life balance. If you can’t join in person, you can join the conversation at @judyatavg #techwomen #SXSW.
It’s actually very encouraging to see that there are many conversations on the topic of women in technology scheduled for SXSW Interactive 2015: Among them: “End To Brogramming” with Re/code and Elle.com, which takes place from 5-6 p.m. on March 13; “Geek Girls Are Chic!” on March 15 by Girls Who Code and IBM, and “#OurTimeToLead: Why Tech Needs More Women” by the Anita Borg Institute on March 17. You can see the SXSW schedule here.
We’ve all done the math. But women in tech (or the lack of such) is not just a pipeline issue, it’s a retention issue and a culture issue as well. It’s encouraging to see major tech companies are recognizing this. It is for everyone’s own good: we need a smart tech workforce and can’t dismiss half the population, and on the consumer side, women represent significant adopters when it comes to technology.
So progress is happening. Good moves are being made. Though more must happen. I think International Women’s Day is a great day to see how far we have come, and serve a fantastic spark to light and then pass the torch to following generations to empower all women, our sisters and daughters.