Celebrating Women in Tech Week: Honouring Ada Lovelace and Beyond
On Ada Lovelace Day, we celebrate not just one of the greatest pioneers in technology, but also the vast potential of women working in the tech industry.
Born in 1815 to the renowned poet Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was always destined to be more than just a daughter of a visionary, but a visionary of her own. She was a gifted mathematician and writer, widely known for her work on Charles Babbage’s early general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine.
What set Ada apart was her recognition of the machine’s potential to go beyond just number crunching. She envisioned a world where computers could manipulate symbols and create music and art, laying the groundwork for modern computer science as we know it today.
The Current Landscape of Women in Tech
Despite the progress since Ada’s time, women remain underrepresented in IT and digital sectors. In the UK, women constitute only about 17% of the tech workforce, and 14% of tech leaders. As of last year, more than one in three women were planning to leave their tech-related job for another industry. These statistic is a stark reminder of the gender disparity that still persists. Whilst the number of women pursuing degrees within tech-related fields has increased slightly, the industry still sees high attrition rates among women due to factors like gender bias, lack of mentorship, and a dearth of female role models.
Why Women’s Achievements in Tech Matter
Recognising the achievements of women in this sector isn’t just about fairness. It’s essential for the future of innovation to have diverse teams in tech. Diversity drives creativity, brings different perspectives, and creates more inclusive products and services. There are many great initiatives that recognise the power of diversity in tech, such as Code First Girls, who have gotten over 200k women and non-binary individuals into tech-based work.
This week is the first-ever Women in Tech Week. We celebrate this week to highlight the contributions of trailblazers like Ada Lovelace, as well as the hidden female figures in tech history. This week aims to inspire current and future generations of women to pursue careers in technology by showing them it is possible.
Bridging the Gender Gap
The journey to gender parity in tech is ongoing, and forms a big part of the iMeta mission – to make the tech sector as equitable as possible. We always encourage women to take control of their narrative, and make the first steps to a tech career in cybersecurity, data analytics, or digital leadership.
Events like Women in Tech Week shine a light on the crucial work being done and the progress being made. By continuing to support, mentor, and champion women to achieve their goals, we honour Ada Lovelace’s legacy and build a more inclusive, innovative future.