This week in our WiC roundup: We learn the tech girl boss formula; returnships pave the way for women re-entering the workforce; Australian Army troops told to 'get out' if they are sexist; and more.

Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor

September 2, 2016

5 Min Read
WiCipedia: Girl Bosses, Returnships & 'Women Don't Require Fixing'

This week in our Women in Comms roundup: We learn the tech girl boss formula; returnships pave the way for women re-entering the workforce; Australian Army troops told to 'get out' if they are sexist; and more.

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  • Re-entering the workforce after a personal leave of absence can be challenging in any industry, but a few tech companies are trying to make the transition go a bit more smoothly. "Returnships," essentially internships for mid-career professionals, are gaining populairty in the tech industry with the goal of encouraging women to return to the office after years of caring for children or elderly parents, for example. While these roles are technically open to men as well, it's expected that women will fill most of the positions. Non-profit Path Forward has just announced it is partnering with six San Francisco tech companies that will host 20 returnships of 18 weeks each, The Washington Post reports. These paid jobs will hopefully pave the way for women who have taken time off to tend to loved ones -- as women so often do -- to get back in the executive suite. (See Vodafone: What's Good for Moms Is Good for Business and WiCipedia: 'Meternity,' Lemonade & Chores.)

    • Speaking of the executive suite, the term "girl boss" is one that's been thrown around a lot lately in the business world. While fashion business mogul Sophia Amoruso may have brought the term into our everyday lexicon with her much-publicized book and website, the tech world is latching on to the trendy title as well. If you've been eyeing the C-suite, AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) has some tips. Susan Lyne, the incredibly impressive uber-girl boss behind Gilt Group, Martha Stewart Living and now Built By Girls (BBG) Ventures at AOL, shares her top tips for paving the way to success. In short, she advises that we must learn to code, learn to project manage and learn to market -- essentially stay up to date with your skills and you'll rule the world soon enough. After all, #thefutureisfemale. (See AT&T Exec: It's Time to Stop Fearing Tech.) Figure 1: (Source: Twitter) (Source: Twitter)

    • Sub-Saharan Africa is not known as being a hotbed for women who want to create lush career lives. Rather, it's often referred to as a bastion of inequality and a place where women are considered second-class citizens. Recently, the UN did the math and found that pervasive gender inequality in this part of the world costs Africa $95 billion per year in lost economic growth, Associated Press reports. Though 61% of African women hold jobs, there are many factors that feed into this number, such as underpaid positions, underage and arranged marriages and more household responsibilities. "For instance, African women still carry out 71% of water collecting translating to 40 billion hours a year, and are less likely to have bank accounts and to access credit," the UN report said. While the number is staggering, we can't help but think of all of the other lost opportunities -- namely independence -- that these women are also missing out on. Not to mention all of the other women around the world who are in the same position. (See SAP Tackles Digital Skills Gap in Africa.)

    • The tech startup world can be a notoriously difficult place for female founders to gain funding -- only 7% of investor funding currently goes to women-led startups -- but crowdsourcing could change the game. Forbes reports that there's a new way to invest in fledgling companies that doesn't require trading a not-yet-released product for cash, à la Kickstarter and Indiegogo . "Green-lighted by the SEC in May, startups can now raise up to $1 million in a 12 month period from 'unaccredited' investors -- people who, in the past, did not meet the SEC's net worth requirements to invest in private companies and small businesses," Forbes says. STEM startup RaceYa, brainchild of Dr. Abigail Edgecliffe-Johnson, is set to raise $100,000 through this new method. "It democratizes investing," says Edgecliffe-Johnson. "Everyone should be able to have their money work for them." We wholeheartedly agree. (See The Rise of Women Startups.)

    • What really needs to change in order to bring more women into tech? Not women, says Australia's former Chief of Army (and current Australian of the Year!) David Morrison in a CIO.com article. Morrison states, "This isn't about fixing women. Women don't require fixing," but rather that companies need to adjust their expectations and reactions to women. "You've actually got to have conversations with men, particularly around the way they listen to women speaking. And get them to change their approach to allow for confidence to build," he advised. Morrison, a strong advocate for women in the Australian Army, told troops, "If you're not up for it, find something else to do with your life," in reaction to sexism in the ranks. He sternly urged "troops to 'get out' of the force if they could not accept female colleagues and treat them equally." What do you think of Morrison's in or out approach? (See Should Men Attend Women's Conferences? and How Zayo Group Makes Diversity a Priority.)

      — Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor, Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Eryn Leavens

Special Features & Copy Editor

Eryn Leavens, who joined Light Reading in January 2015, attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before earning her BA in creative writing and studio arts from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. She also completed UC Berkeley Extension's Professional Sequence in Editing.

She stumbled into tech copy editing after red-penning her way through several Bay Area book publishers, including Chronicle Books, Counterpoint Press/Soft Skull Press and Seal Press. She spends her free time lifting heavy things, growing her own food, animal wrangling and throwing bowls on the pottery wheel. She lives in Alameda, Calif., with two cats and two greyhounds.

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