Indiana celebrates 1st Women IN Tech Week
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Linda Calvin, lower right corner, founded Women IN Tech Week. Photo: Courtesy of Linda Calvin
Indiana just celebrated the nation's first state-sponsored Women IN Tech Week.
Why it matters: Computer and information technology jobs are projected to be some of the fastest growing over the next decade, but women continue to be underrepresented in those fields. They make up less than one-third of the sector's workforce nationally.
- Of those who do enter the field, half leave by the time they reach age 35 due to non-inclusive cultures, according to research from Accenture and Girls Who Code.
Driving the news: All week, over 20 events were held across the state to celebrate the women already leading in the field, connect them to each other and inspire the next generation of female tech leaders.
- Networking events, leadership panels and a symposium showcased the variety of tech careers for college students, and younger girls participated in hands-on activities.
Zoom in: A brunch at information technology company Infosys featured tech leaders from around the state, including Rupal Thanawala, the CEO of tech consulting firm Trident Systems; Heather Darring, the chief information officer at Kappa Alpha Theta, a national women's fraternity headquartered in Indianapolis; and Gail Farnsley, the former chief information officer at Cummins.
- They called on tech companies to do a better job of creating cultures that retain female employees, rather than simply blaming the pipeline of women entering the field.
- "The women are fine," Farnsley said. "We need to fix the organization."
What she's saying: "I grew up in tech in Indiana," said Linda Calvin, chief impact officer for Reboot Representation and founder of Women IN Tech Week. "For me, it was lonely. I didn't see a lot of women, definitely not a lot of Black women."
- Reboot Representation is a national coalition of tech companies working to close the gap for Black, Latina and Native American women in the tech sector.
State of play: As Indiana's reputation as a tech hub grew, Calvin noticed that women doing actual tech work were not receiving recognition. When women were highlighted, it was often for roles in marketing or HR, rather than for technical roles like coding.
- "I wanted to highlight those women who are working in a pretty challenging field when you're a woman," Calvin said. "Many times you're an 'only.'"
- She reached out last spring to the office of Karrah Herring, Indiana's first chief equity, opportunity and inclusion officer.
- The office worked with Calvin and her team, eventually drafting a proclamation for the week that Gov. Eric Holcomb signed earlier this year.
"I am positive that if we stay on track with what we've started this week, and the momentum that we have, our state will be transformed," Herring said. "The faces at the top of companies will start to transform. The experience of women in technology will begin to transform."
- "We will become stronger, more powerful and we will be running the world like women should."
The latest: One way the state is looking to increase the share of women in tech jobs is early exposure.
- Katie Jenner, Indiana's education secretary, said only 25% of students taking a computer science course in the state's K-12 schools were girls.
- This year, the state changed the law to make at least one semester of computer science a high school graduation requirement.
What's next: Calvin said they're already thinking about how to make next year's Women IN Tech Week bigger and better.