Editor’s note: Rather than telling you about the FemTech Project, I invited one of the founders, Mary Beth Hertz to write about. This is her blog post.
In the U.S., demand for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professionals is expected to increase 16.8 percent from 2010 to 2020, adding nearly 1.3 million new STEM jobs to the workforce. Despite the fact that more women attend and graduate college than men, women still remain significantly underrepresented in STEM, both in terms of jobs and degrees. Women comprise 48 percent of the workforce, yet they hold only 24 percent of STEM jobs.
Due to the fast-paced changes in technology, young women today may work in careers that don’t even exist yet. Despite this obvious trajectory, schools seem limited in their ability to engage girls in technology fields and, in some cases, may be reinforcing stereotypes and mindsets that present technology-based careers as undesirable for young women as they begin their higher education and career paths. The statistics for minority women are even more extreme.
The FemTech Project came out of a conversation between four women who feel passionately about women in technology careers. They wanted to create a space for women to share their stories about how they got involved in tech careers. The project is also a place for girls to share their passions for technology and connect with other girls with similar passions with the hope that it will inspire and support young women and girls in entering tech-related fields. We also share stories of women in STEM careers doing amazing things to bring these accomplishments to the forefront.
Our hope is to build a community of bloggers to contribute their stories, share projects that empower young women and to celebrate women in STEM.
If you are interested in contributing your story or becoming a regular blogger, you can contact us at contact@thefemtechproject.org.
