Financial technology company CommonBond is launching a ‘Women in Tech’ week in New York City on 10 October, 2017 to celebrate women who take up technology-based job roles. The idea is to “encourage women to pursue technology careers”. According to the National Centre for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), 26% of the computing jobs available in the US in 2016, were held by women. About 20% women held Fortune 100 Chief Information Officer (CIO) positions at the same time.
Clearly, a lot needs to be done if we want to have more women in the technological workspace. CommonBond is taking one step towards that goal with the Women in Tech Week, which will be on till October 15. They will recognize the contributions of women in technology and create ways to provide support to create a generation of women leaders in technology.
Speaking of the event, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “Women in Tech Week will ensure attendees can access valuable information to help advance their careers while also encouraging the next generation of women leaders to pursue careers in the industry.”
The Women in Tech Week is structured with three key elements.
1. Whitepaper on what women want in the tech workplace
A survey of more than 600 women working in tech roles was conducted. The aim of this survey was to identify how companies can attract and retain women in their workplace. The research found that for technology-based companies to attract more women, they need to have more women in leadership roles, enable long-term career planning processes, provide appropriate training and offer more opportunities for professional growth.
2. Create social media campaign to create future women leaders
CommonBond partnered with Girls Who Code to help fund the next generation of women technologists. The fintech company is running a competition on the Girls Who Code social media pages with the hashtag #2017WITW. Proceeds generated as a result of these social media posts will be used to provide scholarships to school girls who want pursue a career in technology.
3. Hosting a female founders event
The aim of this event would be to encourage women in tech. This would be conducted on 10 October, which is Ada Lovelace Day. This holiday celebrates the achievements of women in STEM. Women who have founded tech-based companies would share their stories with students and professionals.