The age of technology - the age of women taking charge

Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Girls Who Code, poses with her book, Brave, Not Perfect. - Photo: Girls Who Code

Female leaders have made solid strides in establishing their position in a field that has until now been dominated by men.

According to a poll by the technology website Wired, among the most influential female tech leaders of 2024, based on leadership skills, innovation level, and significant contributions to technology, are prominent names such as:

Mira Murati, CTO of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI; Linda Yaccarino, CEO of the social network X (owned by American billionaire Elon Musk); Catherine Lian, General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM ASEAN; and Reshma Saujani, founder of the non-profit organization Girls Who Code.

Because half the world is in the tech industry.

Over the years, the proportion of women in the technology sector has been steadily increasing, reflecting a positive shift in the industry. According to a Q1 2023 survey by Wearesimplytalented, approximately 23% of programmers were female in 2023, up from 19% in 2021.

In the US, women accounted for approximately 26% of the technology workforce in 2022. Furthermore, regions like East Asia have also seen significant progress, with nearly 30% of programmers being female by early 2023, a leap from just 15% in 2021.

This surge can be explained by initiatives encouraging girls to enter STEM fields ( science , technology, engineering, and mathematics), including short-term coding courses, scholarships, and mentoring programs.

As educational institutions and businesses continue to promote these opportunities, the trend of increasing women's presence in technology will continue.

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the proportion of women holding leadership roles in technology, but it is still not commensurate with their potential. According to Deloitte Global, major global technology corporations estimated that around 33% of their workforce would be represented by women in 2022. However, despite this progress, women still only account for about 5% of leadership positions in the industry.

Furthermore, a 2022 survey revealed that 38% of tech job openings only invited male applicants for interviews, clearly indicating that biases still exist in the recruitment process.

If the current situation continues, achieving a 50/50 gender balance in the technology industry may not be possible until 2060.

I believe that one act of courage opens the door to many others. But courage is like a muscle: when you train it, it grows. When you neglect it, it atrophies. It's easy to fall back into our perfectionist instincts. Courage isn't a "one-time thing"—we have to make it a practice, like meditation.

Reshma Saujani

"You don't need to be perfect, just be brave."

When discussing efforts to empower women in the technology sector, it's impossible not to mention the ambitious initiative of Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Girls Who Code.

With an inspiring personal life and contributions to the Girls Who Code organization, this woman has truly been a great source of motivation for tech-savvy women around the world.

Reshma Saujani was born in 1975 in Chicago, USA, to parents who were Indian immigrants. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University and a doctorate in law from Yale University.

Before founding the Girls Who Code organization, she ran for the House of Representatives in 2010, becoming the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress, although she was unsuccessful on that occasion.

Ms. Saujani founded Girls Who Code in 2012 after noticing a significant lack of women in the computer science field during her 2010 parliamentary election campaign. Girls Who Code aims to bridge the gender gap in the technology industry by providing educational opportunities and programming resources for girls.

The initial ambitious goal was to train 1 million female programmers by 2020, which later expanded into a larger mission: building a support network for girls in the technology field.

According to the organization's website, Girls Who Code has reached over 500,000 girls and established more than 8,500 clubs worldwide to date.

This organization has made a tremendous impact in computer science education for high school students, contributing to gender balance in the technology field.

Girls Who Code has a growing alumni network, with over 80,000 people having graduated from the college.

Practice courage.

Reshma Saujani once shared with ABC News three ways she practices courage every day because she believes that by cultivating courage, women can live more meaningful and free lives.

* Maintaining energy levels: Self-care to avoid burnout is crucial. For Saujani, this includes regular exercise, no matter how busy you are.

Do what you're not good at: Challenge yourself by tackling activities you usually fear or avoid to build your courage.

Stop trying to please others: Speak your mind without fear of judgment, because silence can leave you feeling bitter and losing yourself.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thoi-cong-nghe-thoi-phu-nu-dung-ra-lam-chu-20240831101629953.htm