In our technology-driven society we need more technology innovators to solve complex, large-scale problems that affect us all, from population health to natural disaster response.

Not only do we need a more tech-savvy workforce but it needs to be more representative of society as a whole—women and men of different nationalities; racial and ethnic identities, and socio-economic backgrounds.

In our pool of college grads, only 19 percent of computing degrees are held by women, and of that group, only 4 percent are black, Latina or Native American women. That’s hardly a “representative” swath of society.

Recently, Melinda Gates announced the Reboot Representation Tech Coalition, a $12M initiative supported by a coalition of technology companies to double the number of women of color graduating with computing degrees by 2025.

Their efforts are informed by findings of a research report, “Rebooting Representation: Using CSR and philanthropy to close the gender gap in tech.”

At CAWIT, we applaud Melinda Gates’ commitment to the success of this coalition. Critical to its success is providing computing education to more college women, who are only a few years away from entering a workforce in urgent need of their ideas, technical skills, and leadership.

CAWIT’s Technology Pathways Initiative addresses this need. Our university partners are bringing innovative computing degree programs to diverse student populations. Their efforts, supported by industry sponsors, represent a systemic and sustained change that benefits a diverse and underserved population of women, from campus to career.

The way forward is through women in technology.

Learn more about Reboot Representation in Melinda’s LinkedIn piece. Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Share the explainer video or the report with people in your network.

REBOOT REPRESENTATION
TECH COALITION

The goal: to double the number of women of color earning computing degrees by 2025. (Source: rebootrepresentation.org)