Communications of the ACM
Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley
Credit: The New York Times
Although technology hubs such as Silicon Valley boast that they are open to good ideas irrespective of the age, educational level, or station in life of the inventor, women are finding that gender bias still exists.
The Center for Women's Business Research estimates that women own 40 percent of the private businesses in the United States, yet Astia, a nonprofit group that advises female entrepreneurs, reports that women create just 8 percent of the venture-backed tech startups. Studies also indicate low numbers of female tech company CEOs, software engineers, and venture capitalists, compared to their male counterparts. Research shows that bottom lines benefit from investing in women as tech entrepreneurs, as venture-backed startups run by women use 40 percent less capital on average than male-managed startups and are increasingly involved in successful initial public stock offerings.
Factors inhibiting women from climbing the tech hierarchy include a lack of successful role models and education, while another is the difficulty of maintaining a work/family balance when running a startup.
From The New York Times
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