Here’s a complicated question: How come there so few women earning a living in technology fields? It’s a question that NPR asked recently in its All Tech Considered blog. And it is a question that people who run businesses ought to be asking, also. It’s no myth that women are not adequately represented in the tech business.
Bad numbers
NPR examined a study from the National Center for Women and Information Technology proclaiming that women represent a tiny 6 percent of the chief executives at the country’s top 100 tech companies. NPR also references a story in the New York Times stating that women have launched only 8 percent of venture-backed tech startups.
What does the future hold?
And the odds of this improving aren’t very good, according to the NPR story. Men still do much better in elementary and high-school science and technology classes, NPR says. In addition, more men pursue tech and IT majors in college. The bad news? We can’t anticipate seeing an influx of women in the tech fields in the near future.
Meritocracy?
NPR says that defenders of technology say that those that succeed are the ones who work the hardest and generate the best ideas. But NPR argues that there’s more to success in the tech field than this suggests. Among the most successful tech entrepreneurs — the vast majority of which are men — received significant financial help from other males. So merit isn’t the only reason why people rise in the tech field. This is something for small business owners to make note of. It might be time for them to start hiring more women to staff their IT departments.