As head of HR at TT, I like to think we make a concerted effort to stay on top of important workforce issues in the news, whether those topics have surfaced at TT or in the greater tech industry. And one of the biggest topics of debate right now, at least in our industry, is that of women in tech. Or more specifically, the lack of women in the technology industry, particularly in engineering and leadership roles.
Much of the news is negative, unfortunately. In the past few months alone, you haven’t had to look hard to find discouraging headlines, whether on a national scale (Why are women leaving the tech industry in droves?) or specific to Chicago (1871 won’t launch delayed women-in-tech vertical as an incubator). Of course, most working in tech probably don’t need a headline to tell them that—just by doing the “eye test” at industry events, it’s easy to see that women are vastly outnumbered.
But it’s not just about numbers, either—it’s about whether if we, as an industry, see women as equal to men. With Techweek Chicago approaching, we’re reminded of last year’s controversy, when the conference sent out invitations deemed to be sexist and emblematic of the problem by many in the community. It could be a chicken-or-egg question, determining whether a sexist culture has developed because of a lack of women, or if that culture has in fact led to the lack of women. It may be a bit of both, but either way it’s an issue.
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