See how Innovate Birmingham is closing the gender gap in tech in The Magic City

[Kathleen Martin]

If you’ve ever heard people call the tech industry a boy’s club, they’re not wrong—historically, women make up a small portion of the tech industry. However, one local organization, Innovate Birmingham, is working hard to help women make an impact in the tech field in Birmingham and beyond.
We spoke with local entrepreneurs, current students, alumni and staff at Innovate Birmingham to learn more.
Understanding the Gender Gap in Tech.
To understand the need to encourage women in the tech workforce, it is important to understand why there is a gender gap to begin with. In Birmingham, no one understands that better than Elizabeth Anderson and Kelli Lucas, co-founders of LunarLab—a woman-led UX design and product strategy firm that, “empowers dreamers to create meaningful, impactful products through collaboration and innovation.”
Have you noticed a lack of women in the tech industry, specifically in Birmingham? If so, why do you think that is?

Elizabeth: “I have absolutely noticed a lack of women in the tech industry, including in Birmingham. There’s an irony to it, because women have been part of tech since the very beginning. The first computer programmers were women! We’re seeing a resurgence of women in the tech space, but we still have a long way to go.”
Kelli: “There are a lot of hurdles preventing women from entering this field to begin with, but there’s also a huge rate of burn out. 38% of women said they plan to leave their tech jobs within the next two years. The largest tech companies, on average, only have a workforce of about 34% women. The stats are even worse when you consider some specific fields, such as software engineering, which only has a workforce of 14% women. 50% of women have experienced gender discrimination at work. As a whole, women are hired less, promoted less, and paid less. On top of that, these stats are significantly worse for women of color. This problem isn’t specific to Birmingham—it’s a problem women across the globe face.” Elizabeth: “Over my career, I have seen dismissiveness and even hostility towards women in the field. All of these things combined mean that unfortunately, women are also more likely to leave the field.”

What is it like to be a woman in tech in Birmingham?

Elizabeth: “I won’t sugar coat it: being a woman in tech definitely has some challenges, and I have even experienced gender-based discrimination. But the work itself is extraordinarily fulfilling; I love solving hard problems and working on exciting new software solutions. It’s really invigorating to work collaboratively with other people to create something new.” Kelli: “When we launched LunarLab, our goal was to create a space where we could improve gender equity within tech. And we have definitely felt amazingly supported by the Birmingham tech community! The tech scene here is incredibly tight-knit, and everyone works hard to lift each other up. That spirit of collaboration and community support really sets Birmingham apart from other cities. People have your back here, and that creates an environment where innovation can thrive.”
Elizabeth: “Being a woman in the tech field has been a challenge at times. Some of these challenges are what led us to launch LunarLab. We decided we’d had enough, and chose to spend our time and energy building a company aligned with our vision rather than continuing pushing for change from the inside-out. In contrast, we’ve received overwhelming support from other women in the tech community, especially in Birmingham. We’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by brilliant women who share a common goal of empowering others, and some of our biggest supporters have been other women in our field.”

 
Continue reading: https://bhamnow.com/2022/02/21/see-how-innovate-birmingham-is-closing-the-gender-gap-in-tech-in-the-magic-city/