Demystifying Women in the Tech Workforce

There is an old myth surrounding women and technology, often brought about by a mixture of perceived, and actual, andro-centrism.

Lack of vision is at the root of most misconceptions of similar sorts. What we (men) tend to think of the IT world, at least in terms of computer science related fields, our vision is impaired by what we experience from our interaction with women who have little interest in technology. Not because they constitute the majority world-wide, but simply because they constitute the majority in our individual lives.

Alas, all perceptions that are not based on research, including those involving computer-science related fields, are potentially next in line to be debunked.

According to 2013 US Census Bureau data detailing labor force statistics, as analyzed by RJMetrics, 29% of the US workforce employed in Computer and Mathematical fields is comprised by women. This is a considerable increase from the 26% reported in 2011.

Taken as a whole, one third of all workforce may not seem considerable, but when looking at the data by each major cities where technology has a considerable footprint, the percentages change dramatically.

So far, Las Vegas (NV) has taken the lead among all major cities, reporting 64.81% of female tech workers, followed by Oakland (CA) reporting 46.80%, along with Nashville (TN), Miami (FL) and Dallas(TX) reporting similar a percentage.

Surprisingly, New York (NY), San Jose (CA), Palo Alto(CA) and San Mateo (CA), report the second lowest trends, yet above 30% of the tech worker population, while Seattle (WA), Austin (TX) and Baltimore (MD), reporting less than 30%.

According to RJMetrics, there seems to be also a strong correlation between the presence of a female mayor in the cities employing the most female IT professionals. RJMetrics article further elaborates on the hypothesis that female civic leaders play an influential role in the choice of future professions of younger women.