WomenNC Blog

A couple days ago, the middle school students who I teach were learning about algorithms. Using their knowledge about algorithms, they made squares, circles, smiley faces, and stick figures by coding for specific commands. My middle school students, mostly students of color and both female and male identifying, each took unique and creative approaches toward coding for such images. In that faded yellow classroom with large windows to the tall oak trees, I felt the indescribable pain of knowing that tech has left so many talented individuals behind and will continue to do so.

North Carolina is prized for Research Triangle Park (RTP) as a hub for high-growth tech innovation and research. However, RTP, in its rapid growth, has left behind the individuals that make up a large proportion of North Carolina's population, women and women of color. This semester, I am looking forward to researching more on how to incentivize technology companies to improve their recruitment, retainment, and promotion of women, especially women of color. 

As a woman highly involved in tech, I have realized the population of NC tech companies are not reflective of the middle school students in my classrooms. Tech is heavily gendered, but, at its core, it exists as a neutral tool to solve individual and societal problems. For my research, I hope to focus on the structures within tech companies that lead to disproportionately low numbers of women, and even lower numbers of women of color, who apply for positions, stay within their roles, and move up to senior positions. 

Tech doesn't have to leave individuals like my middle school students behind. To actively include all individuals, tech companies need to do better in actively conspiring for gender and racial diversity. Through my research, I am looking forward to working with NC citizens and tech companies to make tech a more equitable space for all of us.