CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An annual summit held Monday in Charleston centered the gender gap in the technology sector in addition to ways to attract women into the field.
The fifth annual Women & Technology Conference focused on promoting gender diversity in the workplace and encouraging young women to pursue careers in STEM.
“As we try to grow the economy in the state, we want to make sure we aren’t missing out on the untapped potential of about half of the population,” said Anne Barth, executive director of TechConnect West Virginia.
“By involving more women and girls in tech and STEM fields and careers, we’re going to unleash their ideas. Hopefully, some of them will start companies and hire other people and create more economic activity in the state.”
Barth said technology is a growing industry with an array of positions, including engineers, security experts and software development. However, the number of women seeking these careers lags behind men; women make up less than 30 percent of all technology jobs, a decline from employment levels in the 1990s.
“We’ve got to get girls interested in an earlier age, and we need programs like mentor-protege programs to help them stay successful, stay interested in and stay committed to a field. A lot of times when they get into the workforce, they are outnumbered. It’s important to have the strategies,” Barth said.
“Companies that have a diverse makeup in their workforce have better profits. They’re more stable through lean times. They do better overall,” she added. “It’s a win-win-win for the person who gets the skills, the company that hires the skilled worker and for our state, which has the potential to grow economically if we follow this path,” she added.
During the conference, Mary Anne Ketelsen, owner of the West Virginia Potato Chip Company, presented TechConnect West Virginia with a $25,000 scholarship for women in technology.
A new mentoring program was also announced; the body will be responsible for setting up mentorships for high school and college students.