IN PRAISE OF TECH’S (S)HEROES
/We know you’re out there, women in tech. Like all of us here at The Fabricant, you’re too busy pursuing excellence and getting stuff done to bother showing your face or talking about what you do. But as we’ve learned, women’s visibility in tech matters, which is why, for once, we’re letting ourselves be seen. And know this: we see you too.
As is apparent from the image within the post, women are fundamental to The Fabricant at every level, and present in roles including co-founder, digital fashion designer, 3D artist, technical management, business development, communications, production, and marketing.
We work in an environment that values the work of everyone involved, in an atmosphere where we’re supported and appreciated alongside our brilliant colleagues of all genders. But we know this isn’t the case for all womxn in the tech world, and today on International Women’s Day, it feels timely to address the situation.
The gender disparity in tech is well documented, manifesting in what is frequently described as a ‘bro culture’ that’s unappealing for women to participate in and actively sexist in terms of career advancement and pay disparity.
According to data compiled by PWC in 2018, the issues start early. In their study, just 27% of the young women respondents were considering a career in tech compared to 61% of young men. This was due to having no guidance on the possibilities within STEM-related fields and no visible women role models in tech.
When women do get into tech, the hurdles continue. According to figures collated by Pitchbook in 2020, companies founded solely by women garnered just 2.1% of the total capital in venture-backed startups across Europe.
And yet, despite the odds, women prevail and thrive in an arena that, in its structure right now, is stacked against them. In an inspirational moment just last month, Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, a dating app specifically designed by women for women to empower them within the process, became a billionaire when the company floated on the US stock market. The moment was made all the sweeter by the fact that Bumble was created after Wolfe Herd left her previous position at Tinder due to harassment, where she was stripped of her co-founder role.
So, now you’ve seen us, we’d like to see you. We know women are working hard throughout the tech industry, and we thought we could take this opportunity on International Women’s Day to become our own cheerleaders and give ourselves the shout-out that doesn’t often come our way.
If you’re a woman working in the tech world in any role whatsoever, please add a comment to this post on Linkedin telling us what you do - we’d love to know about you and your work. And if you’re the colleague of a woman in tech, or want to recognise any womxn in tech that inspire you, it would be wonderful if you did the same.
We know women have been working hard in tech since day one, when Ada Lovelace became the first ever computer programmer in 1842. We have nothing but praise for every woman quietly striving and achieving, but just this once, let’s take time out from our task lists to give ourselves the visibility that often goes unrecognised - and let young women considering a career in tech know that we’re here. Let’s do this together and enjoy the moment, let’s celebrate our fellow womxn in tech and continue #makingstrides.
Wishing you all a very happy International Women’s Day, The Fabricant.
Image: The Fabricant