WiCipedia: Uber's Catalyst for Change & Trump Signs STEM Bills

In case you need another reason why Canada trumps the States, just look to its workplace diversity numbers. Fortune reports that the Great White North places a heavier emphasis on gaining capital for women-owned businesses, has more gender-neutral (and forward-thinking) politics and hires larger numbers of women to fill the upper echelons of companies. A recent meeting specifically about workplace gender diversity between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put the spotlight on the countries' differences and what the US might be able to take away from the comparison. Though many of the changes needed to bring the US up to speed are too large to expect anytime soon, the meeting nudged Trump to sign two bills into law this week that "authorize NASA and the National Science Foundation to encourage women and girls to get into STEM fields," CNET details. (See WiCipedia: Fintech Flexibility, Snap Missteps & Women of Wearables.)

Supporting Women in STEM

Uber's very public undressing last week has reverberated from tech companies to news outlets and left the company (and the industry at large) in an UberPool of embarrassment. The Sydney Morning Herald says the event is a "wake-up call for Silicon Valley," and also reports that many other companies in the area are trying to get ahead of the news. "If you're a CEO in Silicon Valley, and you haven't yet emailed your whole company, or at least your leadership team, about this, you're behind," diversity consultant and CEO of Paradigm Joelle Emerson shares. Uber board member and general (lady) boss Arianna Huffington confirmed that while the Uber harassment scandal was certainly regrettable and unforgivable, it may also be the shove towards equality that tech companies need: "Change doesn't usually happen without a catalyst. I hope that by taking the time to understand what's gone wrong and fixing it, we can not only make Uber better but also contribute to improvements for women across the industry." (See Uber's HR Nightmare: Company Investigates Sexual Harassment Claims and Uber Engineering SVP Out as Probe Continues.)

IEEE Spectrum reports that the University of Connecticut has made major inroads to increasing STEM gender equality by doubling the amount of women in its engineering department since 2009. The root cause? Marketing the program to K-8 girls. Daniel Burkey, associate dean for undergraduate education and diversity in the school of engineering, says, "We have a whole variety of outreach programs that span the whole K-12 space. Programs that really try and go out and speak to underrepresented populations at all levels pre-collegiately in order to show them what engineers do, show them positive role models in engineering that look like they do, show them how engineering makes a positive impact on the world socially and environmentally." This is just more proof that it's never too early to be a mentor or find a mentee. (See Mentor Matters, 3 Qualities of Leaders, Mentors & Mentees and Mentors Among Us: 65 Inspiring Women in Comms.)

With everything that women have to tackle to work in tech, from sexual harassment to a general lack of support, it's no surprise that women leave the industry at the staggering rate of 45% more than men. Forbes explains that unconscious bias, "bro culture" and a lack of paid time off for life changes are the leading causes in why women leave the industry, with "family" being the frontrunner. It also stresses that for all the negative attention that Silicon Valley gets for big tech companies' treatment of women in the workplace, the Valley truly is paving the path for women to succeed in a male-dominated field, "but that's a low bar to be passing." (See WiCipedia: How to Make Companies Work for Women and Women in Tech Leadership Declining – Survey.)

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