The age of technology - the age of women taking charge

Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code, poses with her book Brave, not Perfect - Photo: Girls Who Code

Female leaders have made steady progress in establishing their positions in a field that has so far been dominated by men.

According to a vote by technology website Wired, among the female technology leaders considered the most influential in 2024 in terms of leadership ability, level of innovation, as well as their important contributions to technology, there are prominent names such as:

Ms. Mira Murati, chief technology officer of artificial intelligence company OpenAI; Ms. Linda Yaccarino, CEO of social network X (owned by American billionaire Elon Musk); Ms. Catherine Lian, general manager and technology leader at IBM ASEAN; and Ms. Reshma Saujani - founder of non-profit organization Girls Who Code.

For half the world in technology

Over the years, the proportion of women in the technology field has gradually increased, showing a positive change in the industry. According to a survey in Q1-2023 on the Wearesimplytalented website, by 2023, about 23% of programmers are female, up from 19% in 2021.

In the US, women will make up about 26% of the tech workforce by 2022. And regions like East Asia have also seen significant progress, with nearly 30% of programmers being female by early 2023, a jump from just 15% in 2021.

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

As educational institutions and businesses continue to promote these opportunities, the trend of increasing female representation in technology will continue.

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of women in technology leadership roles, but it is still not enough. According to Deloitte Global, major global technology companies are expected to have 33% female representation in their workforces by 2022. However, despite this progress, women still only hold about 5% of leadership positions in the industry.

Furthermore, a 2022 survey found that 38% of tech job openings only invited men for interviews, clearly biases still exist in the hiring process.

If things continue as they are, it could take until 2060 to achieve a 50/50 gender balance in the tech industry.

I believe that one act of courage opens the door to many others. But courage is like a muscle: when you exercise it, it grows. When you neglect it, it atrophies. It’s easy to slip and fall back into our perfectionist instincts. Courage is not a “one-and-done” thing—it has to be a practice, like meditation.

Reshma Saujani

"No need to be perfect, be brave"

When talking about efforts to empower women in the technology field, it is impossible not to mention the ambitious initiative of Ms. Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Girls Who Code.

With her inspiring personal life and her efforts to contribute to the Girls Who Code organization, this woman has truly been a great motivation for women with a passion for technology around the world.

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

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

Saujani founded Girls Who Code in 2012 after noticing the distinct lack of women in computer science during her 2010 congressional campaign. Girls Who Code aims to close the gender gap in the tech industry by providing programming education and resources to girls.

The original ambitious goal of training 1 million female programmers by 2020 has since expanded into a larger mission: building a support network for girls in tech.

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

The organization has made a huge 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 more than 80,000 college graduates.

Practice courage

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

* Keep your energy up: It's important to take care of yourself so you don't get burned out. For Saujani, this includes exercising regularly, no matter how busy you are.

p Do something you're not good at: Challenge yourself by facing activities you normally shy away from to build your courage muscles.

p Stop people pleasing: Speak your mind without fear of being judged, because silence can make you feel bitter and lose yourself.

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