PEOPLE
“ Diversity improves the tech space for everybody” Ellison Anne Williams, CEO and founder, Enveil
As Women’s History Month, March is traditionally a time to highlight the impact of women on society at large and to draw attention to areas where the disparity of progress between women and their male counterparts is most prominent. One such area is the technology sector where we not only see a notable shortcoming of women participants, but a particularly great discrepancy in terms of leadership roles. Accenture and Girls Who Code put out a powerful report last year highlighting many of the statistics behind this divide and Pew Research and others have also conducted important research on the topic. And beyond statistics and studies, I am one of many women in tech who can add the colour of personal experience to the discussion. But rather than focus on the problem itself, let’s focus instead on solutions. We want - and need - more women to pursue careers in technology. Diversity makes the space better, bringing new 72
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ideas to the table and helping us create working environments that are inclusive for all. Here are three ways we can continue to accelerate the progress of women in the tech sector. Amplify the power of choice As simple as it may sound, the first step to increasing the number of women in tech is to ensure young women consider it as a possible career path. Only 27% of female respondents to a survey by PwC said they would consider a career