Did you know that the number of women in tech has decreased substantially over the last 30 years? I didnât, until recently. We all know that the percentage of women in tech is horribly out of whack, because weâve read 100 articles just like this one. But, gender diversity worsening? How is that possible when Iâve grown up into, and in love with tech over that same time?Â

Searchspring and Women Talk Tech recently hosted a Toronto Women in Tech meetup where we discussed this exact question. I was honored to sit on a panel alongside two incredibly thoughtful people, both of whom I respect on this topic. This article is going to recount that panel, but from a perspective that you donât often get. Rather than recap everything that happened at the event, Iâll tell you what was actually going through my head while I was calculating a debatably intelligent response to a single question.
Why is gender diversity in tech an issue worth discussing?
âWhy do you think the issue of gender diversity in tech is so important for us to address?â Marie Wieseâs question flew over my head toward Will. Will Warren is Searchspringâs CTO. On this panel, Will was sitting to my left, the crowdâs right, which was helpful because he is tall and would have blocked my line of sight to Marie, our moderator and the Host of Women Talk Tech Podcast, if I had been stuck on the end of the row. Vicki Bradley, Founder & CEO of Women in Leadership Empowered completed the panel line-up.Â
âYou mentioned that the percentage of women in tech has declined over the past 30 years. What Iâve read, and correct me if Iâm wrong…â Will speaks in a British accent that teeters carefully between brutal confidence and endearing self-deprecation, so Iâm sure that whatever comes next will be accepted as fact among listeners. âToy companies.â
Sure. Blame the marketers. I expected more from you, Will.
Will continues, âWe used to have incredible female role models in technology.â (Iâm paraphrasing). âThen, toy companies decided that computers were for boys.â
Damn. Heâs probably right.
Let me stop here and tell you what was happening in my life while toy companies were marketing computers to boys, because you canât see all of the memories that flashed through my mind as Will was talking.Â
In 1995, my grandparents bought my first computer. I honestly couldnât tell you what it was, but it had Windows â95 installed and I put some serious mileage on Corel Draw. Before that, I attended class where we studied (read: played Oregon Trail) on a Macintosh Quadra 700. And, before that, Iâd visit my great grandmother in her Florida condo, get sugar-drunk on Yoo-hoo, and play Paratrooper for hours on her IBM PC5150. If you havenât played Paratrooper on DOS, you havenât lived.Â
No one ever told me that computers were for boys.Â
ButâŠ
âYou know, I can see what Willâs saying.â Thatâs me talking. I started talking, out loud, because my entire life story that was counter to his point led to a conversation I recently had with my daughter. âWe gave my son a Raspberry Pi when he was 4 and he loved Scratch the Cat. But, Scratch the Cat isnât pink, or fluffy, or a unicorn. It hasnât quite taken hold with my daughter.âÂ
My daughter loves pink, fluffy, unicorns. Sheâs 5, but letâs be honest we all love unicorns. Itâs not that Scratch the Cat is for boys, itâs that the marketers for LOL Dolls spend millions of dollars to capture a significant portion of my daughterâs mindshare. Itâs not that sheâs not interested, itâs that sheâs not the most interested in technology. At least not in creating it.
As a kid, I saw a computer as an outlet to create or engage. Corel Draw: I was making newsletters for my neighborhood. Paratrooper: Sugar coma with my great grandmother. An eventual Compaq Desk Pro 2000: dismantling it into a million pieces to a) install a CD-R drive and b) see how it works in there. So, I was the most interested. I was hooked.
So why aren’t there more women in tech?
We all know there are a lot of factors. A few of my new theories after this event? Mindshare and branding. I know, spoken like a true marketer.
Mindshare – People have a lot on their minds. Itâs not about going from 0-16 in terms of interest, itâs about making technology the most interesting. That starts with companies who invest in actual innovation and opportunities to grow.
Branding – I spoke with a Brainstation student after the panel (Hi, Amanda!) who said, âIf someone had told me that working in technology meant just figuring out how things work and creating, I would have been more interested in it sooner.âÂ
What do we do with this?
Iâm excited about our initiative at Searchspring to make technology a more balanced and diverse industry. That starts with hiring amazing people who will contribute to an equitable and diverse culture, so if youâre into tech like we are, take a look at our open positions.
I also want to hear about the cool things other people, groups, and companies are doing to foster diversity. Reach out and share some great ideas!