This week in our WiCipedia roundup: What's beyond Brotopia?; blockchain diversity is a priority; all-female teams; and more.
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A group of female movers and shakers in tech spoke at the Milken Global Conference last week to discuss what's on the other side of Silicon Valley's Brotopia. Venture Beat reports that the panel was inspired by Emily Chang's bestselling book, Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley, and the panel was moderated by Chang herself. Notable speakers, including Bo Young Lee, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Uber, and Kara Nortman, partner at Upfront Ventures and founding member of All Raise, discussed what the word Brotopia even means, as it can have different definitions depending on who is defining the word. They then moved on to the subtle and not-so-subtle ways we can all move past the bubble and on to more diverse and welcoming territory. You can check out the full video of the panel below. (See WiCipedia: Brotopia Shocks, Revolar Protects & CES Disappoints.)
A new diversity-based conference for women in blockchain, The Women on the Block Conference (WOTB), stresses the need for getting and keeping women involved in this pervasive yet male-dominated technology. In a Forbes article, Ada Jonuse, cofounder and CEO of Lympo, a health app, and organizer of blockchain events, says that while the usual attendance of women at blockchain events is only 5% to 10%, at all-female panels, it's closer to 40%. The article also stresses that because blockchain is touching down on nearly every industry, it's even more important (and relevant) for women to get involved. As one founder put it, "If we just have men in blockchain, then we miss out [on] a significant contribution from women on the design of products, services and solutions targeting women." (See WiCipedia: Programmer Motivators, Affordable Childcare & All-Female Panels and WiCipedia: Cryptocurrency & a Sexism Code Word .)
If you're a woman in tech, the Bay Area is the worst place to work if you care about how much you're making in relation to your male counterparts. In a shocking chart, Statista breaks down the pay gap differences in 16 different US cities, including the national average.
Business Insider concludes that while the average pay gap in the US is gap is around 16%, if you're working in a Bay Area city, specifically San Francisco, San Jose or Fremont (the epicenter of the tech world), that average is more like 17% to 22%, which equates to $14,450 per year. Looking for a smaller gap? Get yourself to Kansas City, where women in tech make 2% more than men. (See WiCipedia: Google Sued Over Gender Pay Disparity and WiCipedia: Head East, Young Techie & New Industries Need Women.)
This chart wins the award for news that makes absolutely no sense. (Source: Statista)
Dating and social app Huggle has one main difference that sets it apart from the many other competing apps out there: Huggle has an all-female team. The Evening Standard reports that the company, which was recently acquired by Badoo and is based out of London, "connects people based on mutual places and interests," not just a few eye-catching photos. And while there's no shortage of dating apps available to those with smartphones, they have their issues, including a shortage of women. Valerie Stark, a Huggle co-founder, said, "On most dating apps, the best case scenario is it's 70 or 60 per cent men, compared to 30 or 40 per cent women using it. But, we believe that if you want to build something for a certain audience, you need them. If you want to attract interesting, young females, you need to work with young females who are going to give you their vision." (See WiCipedia: Dongles, SXSW & Marital Status Bias.)
If you had to rate diversity in tech, what would you rate it? Maybe a B-? C+? Five VCs, founders and CEOs were recently asked this question, reports The Observer, and "Two gave a B-, one gave a D-, one slapped the industry with an F and one rated it I (incomplete)." Not exactly rave reviews, and this was from a diverse (if you can call a group of five people diverse) panel. These responses were largely because startup money still goes predominantly to white men. One positive note though was that all five of the interviewees felt confident that tech could make a full turnaround and be more diverse, with some major changes. (See WiCipedia: Female Founders Find Funding & Automotive Careers for Women and WiCipedia: Queen of Code, Female VCs & STEM Expectations.)
— Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor, Light Reading
This week in our WiC roundup: Funding is 'surging' for female-founded companies; will new Texas laws cause a tech exodus?; harassment may be unavoidable for women in tech; and more.
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This week in our WiC roundup: Gender parity in social media; the top companies for women in tech; 'greentech' and investment in female founders; and more.
This week in our WiC roundup: Female CEOs are few and far between; a unicorn falls from grace under oath; progress in STEM at the White House; and more.
