For as long as anyone can remember, the tech scene has been stereotyped as a men’s playground, the giants of the landscape have dominated the headlines, the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk hogging the spotlight. But beneath the raucous surface, women have, steadily, often persistently, designed, innovated, and transformed this rapidly evolving landscape. It’s high time we gave due recognition to their contribution.
From those pioneering figures of the past to the current bold startup founders, women in tech are embracing the limelight, even if the journey has hardly been smooth at all.
The gender diversity debate in the tech sector today, while no less vocal, seems far more pressing. Then, take a minute, and let us delve into the tales of women paving the way, women leading innovative enterprises today, and the struggle to seal, at last, that persistent gender gap.
Way before Silicon Valley emerged as the humming hotbed of tech invention, there were genius women actually laying the groundwork of the modern computer. The work of theirs, much sidelined, much conveniently forgotten, was nothing less than revolutionary.
Go back to the 19th century. Against the background of crinolined skirts and stays, a mathematical genius named Ada Lovelace emerged. And no, she was not simply messing around with figures, she had the vision of machines that were capable of much more than churning out figures. Collaborating with Charles Babbage in the workings of the Analytical Engine of his, she was contemplating something much more stellar, machines composing music, generating art, and weaving great patterns. Much of it, back then, seemed pure wishful thinking. But looking at the AI-saturated universe of today, her predictions now sound nearly prophetic.
Fast forward a century, and we see Grace Hopper, a sharp-witted computer scientist and rear admiral in the United States Navy. Hopper was no genius, no, she was tireless. She came up with the first compiler, a genius stroke that would see human language transformed to computer code. Without Hopper, writing code would still be a drudge, an alien ritual. Hopper was also part of the invention of COBOL, a language that introduced business to the age of the computer. And if you’ve ever “debugged” your code? All thanks to Hopper, she coined the term, thanks to a real moth stuck in a machine.
Today, women aren’t just riding shotgun in tech, they’re leading the revolution with fearless startups and daring ideas. They aren’t looking to be asked to the party, they’re hosting the party.
Anne Boden, founder of Starling Bank, is irrefutable proof that fintech is more than a man’s game. Years of banking under her belt and eyes keen to the digitisation, she went out and founded one of the UK’s earliest pure-play online banks. Starling Bank is more than convenient, it’s the re-imagination of banking as it should be: simple, user-friendly, and user-centric. Boden’s example shows us it’s possible, even necessary, to upend outdated systems of finance.
Reshma Saujani didn’t just talk the gender gap, she was determined to do something about it. She founded Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that aims to eradicate the gender gap in tech by instructing young girls in the language of code and building their self-confidence. The movement has, to this point, impacted a quarter of a million girls. Saujani’s point is clear: if girls can see themselves reflected in tech, they’re a whole lot more likely to see a future in it.
Whitney Wolfe Herd gave smart social media, and dating sites a flip thanks to the launch of Bumble. In a crowded space oftentimes dominated by man-first interactions, Bumble upended the applecart by asking women to take the reins of the conversation. The subtle yet impactful move sent shockwaves through the system. In 2021, Wolfe Herd took a company public, becoming the youngest female to ever make it happen. Her victory rocked tech, it redefined the way we even think of power dynamics online. It’s definitely repositioned Wolfe Herd as a major force in tech, too. The future of tech starts young, after all.
Close to home, in the United Kingdom, we have the genius and indefatigable diversity crusader Anne-Marie Imafidon. Together with Stemettes, the nonprofit she co-founded, she encourages young girls and non-binary folks to take up STEM careers in science, tech, engineering, and maths. Imafidon’s not just promoting education, she’s creating an inclusive future where the hotbeds of innovative activity happen as the norm, rather than the exception.
The silver lining? Everyone’s aware of the gender gap in tech, more than ever before. Change’s no longer just a buzzword, real action’s actually being taken.
It starts young. Programs like Code First Girls in the UK and Black Girls Code in the US are shaking up the status quo by teaching girls the code in the safest, most uplifting environments possible. By introducing questions early, these programs dispel stereotypes and embed technical ability prior to fears even getting a foothold.
Mentorship is not nice-to-have, it’s must-have. Organisations like Women in Tech UK and the Tech Up Women are filling the gap in know-how by matching up old-hands and newcomers as they encounter the twists and turns of tech careers. Add to that networking groups that bring people together, and you’ve got places where advice, encouragement, and solidarity flow freely.
Progressive employers are finally understanding it’s no longer optional, it’s obligatory, to be inclusive. By adopting blind hiring, enabling flexible working, and increasing parental leave, employers are finally creating places where women can thrive, rather than merely exist.
The investment sector is catching up, too. Some venture capital organisations are now allocating funds expressly to women-led start-ups. It’s no longer mere box-ticking, again and again, data verifies that diverse groups deliver superior returns as well as more innovative products. Inclusion, it seems, is good business.
Sure, we’ve made tremendous strides. But the finish line? It’s yet to come into focus. Achieving real gender balance in tech will take sustained, collective work, from educators, business leaders, politicians, and investors.
Young girls need to see that tech is not the secret society of the elite. It’s a place where their ideas matter, where their insights are needed. And for the women already living in this world, support systems need to be strong enough to give them the permission to move ahead, lead, and support the ones yet to come.
The future of tech, at the end of the day, isn’t the next hot gadget, the next software breakthrough. It’s the people behind the tech. An industry of tech, by women, and for women, doesn’t only promise a more equitable world, it promises a smarter, more resilient, and reflective world. One in which the innovation reflects the rich, diverse world we all live in.