Could we possibly concur with her more? Women’s contributions to technology are essentially invisible. One of the reasons is that their struggles and successes haven’t been well-documented in history, let alone acknowledged. However, modern society has come a long way and is now proud of its female technologists.
According to Deloitte Global, large global technology firms will, on average, have nearly 33% of women working there in 2022, up slightly more than 2 percentage points from 2019. Many organizations are trying to persuade young girls to choose careers in technology.
Employees and leaders at iLink Digital are constantly inspired by women working in technology and those who are paving the way for others. We as a leading tech company have managed to maintain momentum on the gender front and keep female representation on an upward trajectory despite the pandemic-driven spikes in global unemployment.
To highlight their important work and recognize their outstanding accomplishments in science, technology, engineering, and math, we have assembled a list of inspirational women (STEM).
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg is a trailblazer who overcame the odds and one of Silicon Valley’s most successful women. She is well-known for holding executive positions at Yahoo!, Apple, Google, and also held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Meta (formerly Facebook).
Sandberg has written well-known management books like Lean In Women and Work and the Will to Lead in addition to leading tech companies. She was ranked 15th on Forbes America’s Self-Made Women list and 36th on Forbes Power Women list in 2021.
Debjani Ghosh
The National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM), a lobbying organization that represents India’s $167 billion IT-BPM industry, has elected Debjani as its fifth and first female president. She is in charge of developing new business opportunities for the sector and is a strong proponent of using technology to advance social progress.
Megan Smith
Under President Barack Obama, Megan Smith oversaw technology in the country. She is a recognized engineer, entrepreneur, tech evangelist, and the first American woman to hold the top position in technology. She took advantage of the chance to encourage women and members of the LGBTQ community to choose careers in the technology sector.
Joy Buolamwini
Computer scientist Joy Buolamwini is of Ghanaian descent and American. As she uses art and research to shed light on the social ramifications of artificial intelligence, she is frequently referred to as the poet of code. She found that facial recognition algorithms were unable to recognize women with darker skin tones, including well-known figures like Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Serena Williams.
Her MIT thesis, Gender Shades, which exposed significant racial and gender bias in AI services provided by companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon, was motivated by this. Then, in order to combat bias in technology and bring about a more equitable technological future, she developed a program called Algorithmic Justice League.
Digging from the past!
Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer.
Considered to be the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace. Her aptitude for mathematics, technical know-how, and fascination with machines led to a collaboration with Charles Babbage. She provided him with additional work in the form of a complex set of notes that many people believe to be the earliest version of the computer program that would become the Analytical Engine.
Grace Hopper: Queen of Software.
A pioneer in the field of computers, Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper is best known for her work on programming languages, software development, and computer programming. Her efforts contributed to the creation of COBOL, a pioneering programming language that is still in use today. She captured the first real computer bug ever in 1947.
Mary Allen Wikes: First Personal Computer User
Former computer programmer and logic designer Mary Wikes is best known for her work on the LINC, widely regarded as the first personal computer ever made. While a member of the development team working under Wesley A. Clark, she is also recognized for creating the interactive operating system LAP6 for the LINC.
Hedy Lamar: Mother of Wi-Fi
The radio communications device that Hedy Lamarr invented served as the foundation for modern WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. She was an Austrian-American actress. Together with the composer George Antheil, she was a key contributor to the development of the spread-spectrum and frequency hopping technologies during World War II.
Katherine Johnson: The Human-Computer
Katherine Johnson was a mathematical prodigy whose analysis of the trajectory was essential to the accomplishment of the first US space flight. In 1953, she started working with a group of African American women in the computing department at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), where they had to manually calculate difficult mathematical calculations for the engineer’s program.
The Future of Women in Tech
In comparison to other industries, the number of women working in technology is growing slowly but steadily. Today, there are more women than ever holding executive positions in the tech industry. But there is still a ton of progress to be made.
Although cultural attitudes are shifting and the outlook is improving, women are likely to face a particular set of challenges because of ingrained stereotypes and lingering bias. The world must change as a result of an increasing number of women entering the technology industry.
