•Only 18% of women earn B.S. degrees in Computer Science
• Merely 16.5% of Women earn PhD’s in Computer Science
• Teen Girls Have Access To Computers Later Then Teen Boys
• Women account for just 6 percent of the chief executives of the top 100 tech              companies

Source: National Center for Women and Information Technology.

Exactly one week ago I sat in one of the world’s largest multinational corporations cafeterias as I had dinner with a colleague. As I took in the surroundings, a wave of excitement came over me. I was pleased to see that there were several women within the vicinity. These women were not visiting like I was, but rather Google employees. In fact, one-third of Google’s 34,300 employees are women, (NY Times, May 2013).

 

A glass ceiling is a political term used to describe the unseen, yet unbreakable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements. Can women shatter the glass ceiling? Today there is a plethora of emerging tech hubs across the world. Silicon Valley, the worlds greatest tech hub has witnessed several high-profile women breaking through the glass ceiling such as Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo and Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Google hopes to solve one of the most vexing problems facing Silicon Valley: how to recruit and retain more women. Google has generally been considered a place where women have thrived, but it wants to figure out how to compete even more vigorously for the relatively few women working in technology.

 

One can only wonder whether emerging tech hubs offer opportunities for women that Silicon Valley has failed to deliver in recent decades. Can hubs such as Moscow, London, New York and Nairobi offer women a level playing field? Helen Keegan founder of Heroes of Mobile states “The good news is there are lots of women working in London’s tech industry. The bad news is there aren’t enough of us. We’re almost invisible at board level, and the new girls on the block coming up from school aren’t interested in having a career in tech, yet will quite happily use it, day in and day out.” (Mashable.com)

 

In Africa there is a burgeoning presence of females in the tech industry. Women in tech hubs like iHub Nairobi have contributed to the rapid growth of the tech industry by providing outstanding ideas. Linda Kamau, co-founder of Akirachix  is excelling and paving the way for technologists of the future in Kenya.

 

In India, cities such as Pune have emerged as centers of technology. “There has been a massive growth in technology and a lot of women are taking big jobs,” explains Aakriti Kaushik, Indian tech specialist and founder at PR Buddy. “However, a lot more needs to be done in training and development with technology — education is especially needed.” (Mashable.com)

 

In Moscow, a project, popularly known as Skolkovo, has already lined up over $1 billion in financing from Western tech giants such as Cisco and Nokia as well as the official government support of both Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev. Skolkovo seeks to employee and retain women who have the right qualifications.

 

The glass ceiling in the technology industry is slowly but surely being shattered by women across the globe! Not only are Marissa and Sheryl headlining news within the United States but women in Moscow, India, London and Nairobi are demanding to be heard and seen as serious players in the game!

 

Click here for more information about available funds for women studying STEM  both internationally and domestically.

Click here for more information about the Masters Program in Financial Engineering here at Baruch.

Click here to for more information about the Zicklin Graduate Beta Alpha Psi Club that focuses on information systems and finance.

Click here to learn more about exploring these tech hub cities (London, Moscow, Pune and Nairobi), through our Study Abroad office.