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Why we need Women in Tech Week for State of Indiana
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 377,500 openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently.
In 2022, statista.com reported that the US tech sector contributed nearly two trillion U.S. dollars to the country's overall gross domestic product (GDP), making up approximately 9.3 percent of total GDP. Additionally, according to COMPTIA, the leading IT certification provider in the US, despite the layoffs in the tech sector, 272,000 jobs were added to the tech sector in 2023. All of this to say, money, jobs and opportunity in tech flourish! There’s room for everyone to participate in the tech economy, BUT...
While women make up 47% of all employed adults in the US, as of 2022, they hold only 28% of computing and mathematical roles. (Women in Tech Network).
The percentage of women in tech leadership roles has fallen to 28% in 2023 (Women in Tech Network).
In 2019, Accenture/Girls Who Code reported that by age 35, 50% of females are leaving tech due to non-inclusive cultures.
Thirty-two (32%) percent of women in technical and engineering roles are often the only women in the room at work (Zippia).
Girls have fewer role models to inspire their interest in these fields, seeing limited examples of female scientists and engineers in books, media, and popular culture. There are even fewer Black women role models in math and science (American Association for University Women).
Black and Hispanic women account for 3% and 2% of the computing workforce. Black, Latina and Native American women (BLNA) representation in the tech workforce has declined by 10% from 2018 – 2022. (Reboot Representation)
But won’t the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) create new jobs for women?
Unfortunately, even with the significant growth in tech and the current zeitgeist of artificial intelligence (AI), we continue to witness a lack of representation from women. A 2020 LinkedIn report found that “AI Specialist” is the top emerging job in the United States, with hiring growth for the role increasing 74 percent annually over the past four years. While the demand for AI talent is experiencing growth at exponential rates, a 2020 World Economic Forum report revealed that women make up only 26 percent of data and AI positions in the workforce.
We must disrupt the trend now.
Through organized and strategic initiatives, we must employ multiple tactics to increase the number of girls and women pursuing tech education, attract and retain more women in tech, increase female leadership in tech and ensure, with the emergence of AI, we do not take steps backwards in a representative workforce.
A Women in Tech Week, standing alone, is NOT going to solve the gap or address the issues of inclusivity. However, a week celebrating and recognizing women working in tech careers and female students pursuing tech education will invite discussion on how we create a more representative tech workforce, how we tackle challenges of inclusivity in the workplace, and how we amplify those women in the state of Indiana who are contributing to the tech economy!
When you see us, you can be us.
Through organized and strategic initiatives, we must employ multiple tactics to increase the number of girls and women pursuing tech education, attract and retain more women in tech, increase female leadership in tech and ensure, with the emergence of AI, we do not take steps backwards in a representative workforce.
A Women in Tech Week, standing alone, is NOT going to solve the gap or address the issues of inclusivity. However, a week celebrating and recognizing women working in tech careers and female students pursuing tech education will invite discussion on how we create a more representative tech workforce, how we tackle challenges of inclusivity in the workplace, and how we amplify those women in the state of Indiana who are contributing to the tech economy!
Meet the Co-Founders
Linda Calvin
Linda Calvin is a technology leader, speaker, strategist, and community builder whose work sits at the intersection of tech, workforce transformation, leadership, and access. With experience spanning Fortune 500 technology, higher education, nonprofit leadership, and statewide ecosystem building, Linda brings a bold, human-centered voice to conversations about who gets seen, who gets access, and how we build more inclusive and innovative pathways into the future of work.
Known for her mantra, “When you see us, you can be us,” Linda challenges audiences to stop waiting for permission, build meaningful networks, rethink leadership, and imagine technology as a force for opportunity, trust, and human progress.
Kara Kavensky
Kara Kavensky is a corporate communications expert, public relations strategist, and marketing executive. She’s worked with hundreds of companies and organizations on their corporate messaging and is the architect of Remain Relevant, a corporate storytelling masterclass.
Kara is also a writer, author, and podcaster of RECORD SCRATCH with Kara Kavensky.
In her spare time, Kara adds to the thousands of human interest stories she’s written and was inspired to write her first memoir, TELL ME ABOUT JOY, as a result of one of those interviews — when a WWII Veteran asked her to find his long-lost love, a woman named Joy. He had not spoken of Joy in 67 years and sent Kara on a journey to find Joy.