On Tuesday, women and men around the world will celebrate “the first computer programmer,” Ada Lovelace—the British mathematician known for her pioneering work in technology in the nineteenth century.
In her honor, Ada Lovelace Day celebrates women breaking new ground across the male-dominated STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), industries in which female leaders are often overlooked and have even been written out of history.
This year Forbes is proud to mark Ada Lovelace Day by announcing its debut Top Women In Tech list. This shines a light on 50 incredible women from across Europe who are putting technology at the heart of their rising businesses. It will be followed by lists honoring female tech leaders in the U.S and the world.
There are many reasons for the disproportionate number of female tech founders today, ranging from how STEM education has been presented in schools, to how some work environments have proven hostile to women and the fact that there is a lack of female decision makers within VC firms. Yet, as consulting firm McKinsey has repeatedly confirmed, gender-diverse teams outperform their all-male peers and have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.
By: Kitty Knowles
Source: Forbes
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, corporate interest in DEI is higher than ever. But has this increased attention racial justice and inequity led to real, meaningful change? The authors conducted interviews with more than 40 CDOs before and after summer 2020 and identified four major shifts in how these leaders perceived their companies’ engagement with DEI.
Mid-career women are often surprised by the levels of bias and discrimination they encounter in the workplace, especially if they’ve successfully avoided it earlier in their careers. After speaking to 100 senior women executives, the authors identified three distinct kinds of bias and discrimination faced by mid-career women. They describe each bias and conclude with recommendations for overcoming them.
Bain research shows that men and women have consistent motivations when it comes to work, across factors like financial orientation and camaraderie. They also have similar attitudes on inclusion, with fewer than 30% feeling included in the workplace. Despite a lack of intrinsic differences, women and men continue to have different outcomes and experiences at work, due to meaningful imbalances in occupation choice, prioritization of flexibility, and the perpetuation of biases.
