Building Awareness and Community of Practice for Women in Technology

The National Center of Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) reports that only 26% of the computing workforce were women in 2020. Only 3% were African American women. Only 7% were Asian women. Only 2% were Hispanic women. What is especially concerning is that the number of women in IT has consistently declined or remained the same since the mid-1990s. Today, 57% of professional roles are held by women, but only 26% of computing roles are held by women. In 2002, 35% of computing roles were held by women. In 1996, 41% of computing roles were held by women. One way to address this issue is by creating communities within our organizations that create a space for awareness, training, and networking. This session will tell the story of how Georgia Tech created a grassroots community, what worked and what didn't, and offer practical ways you can do the same at your institution. Maya Angelou said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."