Can You Hear the Glass Ceiling Shattering?

posted by Alison Wesley on November 07, 2008

During the recent presidential election, there was a focus on glass ceilings being shattered. I believe that the appointment of a bi-racial man to president and a woman to the GOP ticket may be seen as a sign of progress by some.

This sentiment was top of mind for me as I read the Intel announcement that a new group of Intel Fellows has been named this week - including another woman, Dr. Genevieve Bell.

Intel Fellows have the highest level of technical achievement in our company, equivalent to vice president on the management track. And Genevieve has rightfully earned this designation and has demonstrated a career of outstanding achievement. Genevieve joins Kelin Kuhn as the second female Intel Fellow, and both women share a passion for technology and how it's positively impacting our lives.

For many years there has been discussion about the "glass ceiling" for women in tech, specifically the lack of females in technology, science and math careers. Studies have shown that:

• women make up only five percent of computer programmers
• women make up 10 percent of system analysts 
• women make up 10 percent of electronics technicians
• women lead only 5 to 6 percent of major high-tech companies in Silicon Valley

How do we attract more females into science and math? Why do women continue to earn cents-on-the-dollar to a man? How can women successfully manage families and careers with equal vigor and acceptance? Why do men continue to be the lead designers of tech products that are purchased by many women? Why don't more engineers understand that designing products for women means more than making them pink?

I have heard a lot about a need for change in the recent political race in the U.S. I think that change is also coming to the tech industry and not just so SV companies can fulfill an equal opportunity charter that HR has set out for them.

I believe that more women will lead the technology revolution because not only is it fair and right, but because it's good business. Having people represented at the "management table" who offer different points of view, have different backgrounds and bring varying perspectives makes businesses more successful, better able to compete, and reach new and broader audiences.

Perhaps the tech industry will be guided by the Chinese Proverb -- "Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still." And hence, with patience, we both look up to today's tech leaders like Genevieve and Kelin and look forward to the day when even more women and girls will share this esteemed spotlight.