As I write this, currently listed on the homepage of this year’s Digital Summit Minneapolis, there are headshots of 12 different speakers—myself included. Of these 12, there are 5 men and 7 women. That means there’s a 51/49 balance of women and men…. speaking at a tech conference… in 2019.
Yes, you read that right. Women speakers outnumber men at one of the biggest tech conferences in the Twin Cities area. Can I get an AMEN for all my ladies in Minneapolis!? But before we pop the champagne, let me first dole out a harsh reality and remind everyone of the very bleak past women in tech were facing none too long ago:
In 2016, Minneapolis-St. Paul women in the tech sector made an average of $66,000 to every $103,000 a man made, making Minneapolis the nation’s second-worst tech hub for equal pay, after Atlanta.
In 2017, women held only 24 percent of computer science jobs (down from 37 percent in 1995) and occupied roughly 11 percent of executive positions in Silicon Valley.
In 2018, only 24 percent of tech jobs were held by women (even though women composed more than half the workforce), and women over 35 were 3.5 times more likely to be in junior positions than men in the tech sector. And this is less than 8 months ago!
So you can see why a majority of women speaking about tech at a non-female-centric conference is an incredibly big deal. And I should know because I’ve been battling the ‘Only Woman In The Room Syndrome’ since I first arrived in Silicon Valley where I could only get a meeting because I had a male-sounding first name. And that was 14 years ago! Yowsers!
But 2019 has been a game-changer for women in the tech industry. Now, almost 1 out of 3 Millennial women has learned to code before they were 16 years old (that’s compared to 18% of women from previous generations). And now a whopping 74 percent of girls have expressed a desire for a career in STEM fields. The previous statistic was that most girls were lost in STEM education at somewhere around age 8, so we’re delighted to hear about these huge changes since these are the exact issues at the core of everything the Zuckerberg Media team works on, every day.
At Zuckerberg Media we created Sue’s Tech Kitchen to give girls and families access to experiential dining meets science and chemistry. Through our award-winning kids’ show and character, DOT, she’s been teaching kids how to use their digital device and imagination together. And with our new venture, Zuckerberg Institute, we’re giving women access to mentorship by facilitating networking events with hundreds of others of business leaders. And, I’d be remiss to say I’ve been raising two young sons on how to prepare for their future female boss, but now they can put their skills to the test as I just gave birth to a little girl!
All that being said, I’m thrilled to be a part of Minneapolis’ changing tide of women in tech. From Medical Alley to the Digital Summit, from 51/49 to St. Paul being the 10th Best City for Women in Tech, women in the Twin Cities have much to be excited about and I’m honored to be a part of it!
We’re currently taking enrollment at Zuckerberg Institute for entrepreneurs who want to level up their game with 1:1 coaching, group mentorship, and our first leadership retreat to India. For more information, go to zuckerberginstitute.com. Follow me @RandiZuckerberg for more on DOT and Sue’s!
