As we pause to celebrate International Women’s Day, it seems timely to take a closer look at the progress we have made in the Canadian Tech industry to promote gender equity. Curious, I began to do a little homework, and fortunately, I discovered “Move the Dial,” a movement dedicated to increasing participation and advancement of women in technology across Canada.
Their objectives of the Move the Dial movement are well-defined, and frankly seem achievable:
Raise the profile of women in tech
Help Canadian female owned/led Technology start-ups to grow and scale globally
Help ‘board ready’ women with tech experience earn seats on boards.
Provide women opportunities to develop technical and leadership skills (and link to STEM initiatives)
So ultimately, the question is HOW?
Firstly, take a few moments and review the 2017 Benchmark Report, which examines the current state of women working in the Canadian technology sector. The gender disparity is glaring. However, all is not doom and gloom, as the message has been heard! Corporate and community partners, as well as thousands of individuals, have committed to increasing the number of women both working and leading the tech sector. The future does look bright!
Interested in doing your part to Move the Dial? Visit the website, and join the movement. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to honour International Women’s Day.