Women Hackathons: A Gateway to the Evolution of a More Equal World
The Meera Kaul Foundation addresses gender bias and funds organizations led by women to help “eradicate inequality through education, programs, seminars and conferences.” Check out their post excerpted below and on Entrepreneur Middle East, about hackathons for women: a coding and computer science movement that's sweeping the world to foster cutting edge ideas and collaboration and help women innovators, developers, tech geeks and entrepreneurs form connections and pursue goals that can change the world.
entrepreneur.com - In a world where the rate of female computer science graduates is declining at an alarming rate, the number of women enrolling in technical courses at universities has also seen a dramatic decline—which further impacts the motivation of women already involved in STEM vocations. The end result is a microscopic pipeline of women in STEM careers, primarily computing and engineering. While opportunities in these vocations have evolved, women’s involvement in these domains has plummeted. This is not a pretty equation, both from the perspective of the social and economic status of women, and also from the standpoint of the progress and development of communities, as women are known to be active contributors to the capacity building of other women and their communities.
When I promote hackathons for women, I invariably get asked why such an inclusive program should exist. Our nonprofit organization, the Meera Kaul Foundation, has a program called Women in STEM, whose primary mission is to enable women to educate and build skills to enable careers in highly paid jobs of STEM. Holding hackathons all around the world has been an initiative that we have undertaken the world over, and thus proliferate our mission into regions that need our support the most.
Read more about the Meera Kaul Foundation, Women in STEM, hackathons, and the culture of bias and stereotype women in tech still face here. The second annual Women in STEM Hackathon in Dubai will be held February 19 through 20, welcoming women from across the MENA region.
Showcasing Women in Tech
Sava360 brought our attention to a powerful series highlighting leading women in technology by Shelly Kapoor Collins of ShellShockd, a community of women in tech who support one another and work together to form opportunities, foster innovation and work toward equality because they believe that “technology is the greatest equalizer of the 21st century, and without women in tech, there is no equality.”
sava360.com - This original article by Shelly Kapoor Collins can be found on ShellShockd.
In writing this series, I want to bring to life and highlight the positive experiences of women in technology and venture capital who have made it despite their struggles and are even thriving side-by-side with male counterparts who are supportive of their success. Through this series, I aspire to build a community of support so that we as women have our own good ol’boys network and access to resources that will guide and support us before we make the decision to leave the Tech industry. I want to mobilize new members into the world of girl geekdom because technology is the greatest equalizer of the 21st century and without Women in Technology, there is no such equality.
The number of women in the technology industry is marginal and declining. From the ongoing talk about gender pay inequality, women struggling to find balance between work and career, lack of startup capital, and lack of a level playing field with male counterparts, it well known that America has a Women in Tech problem. While it’s important to recognize the issue, over analysis and getting caught up in negativity is a slippery slope that does not result in a solution. In this case, we know we have a (lack) of women in tech but what are we doing about it? Is this a policy issue? A jobs issue? An education issue? A family issue? The answer: it’s all of it.
Read more about ShellSchockd and women in tech here, or check out their website and full series here.
Sava360 is a network that connects leading South Asian influencers with innovators and entrepreneurs for strategic business, education and mentoring opportunities. The connections made through Sava360 take advantage of the expertise South Asian professionals have to offer in business, science, technology, arts and more. The organization advises early to mid-stage companies and hosts workshops and startup competitions; as well as working through its philanthropic branch to combat and raise awareness about issues including gender equality. For more information, visit the Sava360 website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.