Women Trailblazers Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Tech Industry
“The word ‘female,’ when inserted in front of something, is always with a note of surprise. Female COO, female pilot, female surgeon — as if the gender implies surprise … One day there won’t be female leaders. There will just be leaders.”
Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook
In an era when it was customary for only men to study the subjects, Ada Lovelace’s mother instilled in her a love of science, logic, and mathematics out of concern that she would inherit her father’s lyrical hobbies and personality. Ada was the Countess of Lovelace. She was a pioneer for women in technology.
It’s easy to forget how important and forward-thinking women have been in the tech industry’s development since its beginnings around 300 years ago because of the persistence of male dominance in the field. Even though the computer she wrote about was never built, her meticulous notes led to her being recognized as the first computer programmer.
Even though it is true that technology has advanced with the advent of AIML and Metaverse, women in the IT industry continue to struggle and are often discouraged from pursuing these fields.
DigitALL Gender Equality: Leveling up Women in the Digital World
The UN has selected the theme of DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality for International Women’s Day 2023, highlighting the positive impact of technology on gender equality. It recognizes the vital role that women have played in shaping the digital world we live in today, overcoming significant obstacles, and breaking down barriers.
The focus is on creating a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape that empowers everyone to participate in the digital revolution and benefit from technological advancements. DigitALL is not only improving women’s lives in urban areas but also transforming the lives of rural women, freeing them from mundane tasks that consume a lot of their time.
Digitization is a powerful tool for global emancipation, creating new opportunities for women, girls, and other marginalized communities. The digital age is opening doors to a world of possibilities, from gender-responsive digital learning to access to tech-enabled sexual and reproductive healthcare.
The DigitALL initiative is a positive step towards building a more inclusive digital society, where women can thrive and achieve their full potential. It provides a platform to celebrate women’s contributions to the tech industry and showcases the opportunities that technology offers for gender equality.
Women who were at the Forefront of Digital Progress
Even if every day is a fantastic opportunity to recognize the contributions of women in technology, International Women’s Day provides one more justification, especially because the subject for the upcoming International Women’s Day in 2023 is Women in Tech and DigitALL. We have produced a list of remarkable women for this unique occasion to highlight their important work and recognize their excellent accomplishments.
Radia Perlman: The Mother Of The Internet
The pioneer of the internet is Radia Perlman. Radia, known as the “Mother of the Internet,” developed the algorithm that forms the basis of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which is a vital component of the modern internet.
Her work greatly influenced how networks self-organize and move data, and it established the fundamental guidelines for internet traffic. Radia continues to work for Dell EMC as an engineer and computer programmer despite having given keynote addresses worldwide.
Elizabeth Feinler: The Original Search Engine
Women in technology are breaking down barriers and proving their value in the tech industry. Gender equality is not just a basic human right, but also the cornerstone of a peaceful, wealthy, and sustainable planet. Let’s look at some remarkable stories about women in technology.
Adele Goldberg: The Inspiration For GUI
The original Apple computer was influenced by the programming language Smalltalk-80, which Adele helped create. According to reports, Adele described the choice to display Steve Jobs’ Speech as a “kitchen sink giveaway.” She probably had a point. We use graphical user interfaces (GUI) daily thanks to the ideas Adele and her colleagues developed.
Women driving the Digital Revolution today
Upasana Taku, CEO & Co-Founder of Mobikwik
Know about Mobikwik? Without a doubt, practically everyone has! Mobikwik is among the leading mobile payment networks in India, which makes sense given how integrated digital payments have gotten into our daily lives. It is currently the biggest independent mobile payments network in India. In April 2009, Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh established the company.
Upasana, a Stanford University graduate, has over ten years of experience working in the financial industry. Many have found inspiration from her entrepreneurial career. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India has given her the “Best Women Entrepreneur Award 2017.” (ASSOCHAM). Upasana, who is the first woman to lead a payments startup in India, is determined about the direction the country’s fintech market should take.
Kimberly Bryant, CEO – of Black Girls Code
Black Girls CODE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting girls of color to the field of technology and computer science, was founded and is led by Kimberly Bryant as its executive director. Kimberly Bryant was named one of the “25 Most Influential African Americans in Technology” by Business Insider after launching Black Girls Code. She also earned the Smithsonian Institute’s Ingenuity Prize for Social Development and the White House’s designation as a Champion of Change.
Ruchi Sanghvi, South Park Commons founder and computer programmer
The first female engineer employed by Facebook was Ruchi Sanghvi. She was a key innovator in the development of Facebook’s inaugural News Feed, which employed algorithms to choose the information users would see based on their interests, activity, and interactions with the platform.
After receiving a TechFellow “Best Engineering Leadership Award,” Sanghvi quit Facebook in 2011 to start her software startup, Cove. South Park Commons, a residential and business tech space that operates like a hackerspace, was launched in 2016 by Ruchi Sanghvi.
The Future is Female & Digital!
Join us in celebrating International Women’s Day by sharing this article. Today, more women are in positions of leadership in technology than ever before. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. These stories can inspire more women and young people to question the status quo and consider a career in technology, and the world will be compelled to adapt to the change.
