Facebook, LinkedIn come together to push for more women in technology

[Himanshu Arora]

In an effort to boost the number of women in the technology sector, Facebook and LinkedIn have teamed up on an initiative under which they are launching mentoring and support programs at colleges to get more women interested in pursuing a career in computer science and engineering.

According to Facebook's diversity figures released last year, women make up a mere 15 percent of the company's employees working in tech jobs, and around 31 percent of the total employees. The situation is more or less similar at LinkedIn, where women comprise 17 percent of the company's tech employees and 39 percent of employees overall.

"Careers in computer science and engineering are great for women (and men) — the work is high-impact, flexible, well-paid, and exciting," said Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg in a post on her Facebook page. "Yet female participation in these fields is plummeting. Women are missing out on great jobs and the world is missing out on their great ideas."

To give better perspective, the percentage of women enrolled in undergraduate computer science programs stood at around 35 percent in 1985, but is down to just 17 percent now. Back in 2013, Sandberg also wrote a book titled Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead that is focused on increasing women in positions of power in government and business.

While Facebook and LinkedIn didn't comment on how much they were spending on the initiative, the investment is focused on peer groups and a mentoring process already established through Lean In Circles -- small groups of women who meet regularly to learn and grow together.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59688-facebook-linkedin-come-together-push-more-women-technology.html

 

[Gaara]

I have no Problem with Woman cuz I come from a woman and I love Woman, but why Woman always wan't to do what Man do? and wanna be like a man?

 

[stewi0001]

All I can think of is Big Bang Theory where Lenard, Sheldon, and Howard try to encourage women into the sciences.

 

[SeiveD]

I have no Problem with Woman cuz I come from a woman and I love Woman, but why Woman always wan't to do what Man do? and wanna be like a man?

They don't. That's my take on why there's few women in technology. It just doesn't interest them the same way it does most men. But tech news places like to keep playing it up as the result of discrimination, but I've never seen any evidence that a lot of women really want to do this, or that they'd be hounded for doing it.

 

[davislane1]

I have no Problem with Woman cuz I come from a woman and I love Woman, but why Woman always wan't to do what Man do? and wanna be like a man?

They don't. That's my take on why there's few women in technology. It just doesn't interest them the same way it does most men. But tech news places like to keep playing it up as the result of discrimination, but I've never seen any evidence that a lot of women really want to do this, or that they'd be hounded for doing it.

Exactly.

This past weekend I was part of a conversation with a business owner about the lack of women in the volunteer group I work with. The early morning discussion was why the work party is almost always exclusively male even though the help request goes out to a group that is at least 35% female. As it turns out, many women do not enjoy stacking inventory boxes and working with tools/materials. What a bunch of misogynists we must be!

Tech is no different. Many women simply chose alternative paths because computer science does not interest them (something slowly being acknowledged and reframed as a result of "toxic" culture). Ironically, instead of respecting the decisions of women who pass on tech, the tech sphere is more concerned with telling them how wrong they are:

"Yet female participation in these fields is plummeting. Women are missing out on great jobs and the world is missing out on their great ideas."

 

[GeforcerFX]

Well then there prob needs to be more men in hair styling and fashion work (mainly female dominated) and many more fields. People do what interests them and you don't find many women working in car shops and metal working. Its not a bad thing that tech is mainly men as long as any women who is as good as a man has the same opportunity's as a man in the field then all is ok.

 

[Heihachi1337]

Is it just me or do other people seem to see this as a "we need more token women in the tech industry" to try and prove "diversity"?
I'm sure if they showed figures on, say, hair salons and manicurists they would find an underwhelming amount of men.
People need to just get over this "inequality" BS and just realize everyone is different and we all aren't geared for the same thing and we all have different interests.

 

[Guest]

Dear Facebook HR, I am more than willing to dress up like a woman if you're willing to hire me

 

[PGURON]

I have no Problem with Woman cuz I come from a woman and I love Woman, but why Woman always wan't to do what Man do? and wanna be like a man?

I agree.. I am a woman.. I am in technology but I do not understand why woman has to copy a man... On one side they talk about equalities between men and woman and on the other hand they provide special privileges to woman..
Men and woman can never be compared, they both have their own distinct characteristics... but woman want to dress like men, do stuff like men...

 

[robb213]

I have no Problem with Woman cuz I come from a woman and I love Woman, but why Woman always wan't to do what Man do? and wanna be like a man?

They don't want to be men/do what they do--that's the "problem", not that there's any actual problem. There's probably going to be "there aren't enough men in the hair industry" some day for instance.

It all goes to the gender rules we're taught as children. I.e. How boys can't play with dolls, how girls can't play with worms, etc (davislain1 called it toxic which is where I think he was heading too with what he said). This usually has a direct influence on your own interests over time, so many women simply aren't interested in technology.

I personally don't care about this. If a woman, a man, or an asexual human want to work in tech, no problem. If they want to do something else, no problem. It doesn't affect me in the slightest since it's their life. There's far more important stuff to deal with like the lack of security and such imo.