Reshma Saujani told a generation of girls that if they gained coding skills, they would be halfway to a productive, fulfilling career. In her new book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work," the Girls Who Code founder admits the cards are still stacked against those girls — and only systemic change can provide true equity.
Why it matters: Saujani's new tome offers a powerful counterweight to the notion that the biggest thing standing in the way of women's success is a skills gap and that women don't have to make sacrifices to advance in their careers.
Why it matters: Saujani's new tome offers a powerful counterweight to the notion that the biggest thing standing in the way of women's success is a skills gap and that women don't have to make sacrifices to advance in their careers.
- "Having it all is a euphemism for doing it all," Saujani said in an interview. "We should throw it in the garbage."
- Saujani has had a wide-ranging career, working in both finance and city government before starting Girls Who Code in 2012. She ran unsuccessfully for a New York congressional seat in 2013, finishing third in the Democratic primary.
- Critics of Girls Who Code's skills-based approach have long argued that systemic inequalities, shaped by ingrained racism and sexism, were the dominant forces keeping women from achieving their full potential.
