Melinda Gates: The Tech Industry Needs to Fix Its Gender Problem—Now
“If we don't have women in the tech space, we won't even be asking ourselves some of the right questions.”But the fraction of computer-science degrees awarded to women has actually fallen since the 1980s, from 37 percent to 18 percent, she said.
Working through Pivotal Ventures, an independent office she recently created, Gates has been funding exploratory research into why girls and women drop out of tech programs.
“I’ve learned that there’s a leaky pipeline that starts at kindergarten and goes all the way through university and through industry,” she said.
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If her children remember one piece
of her advice, one thing that she has told them, what would it be?
Gates paused, turned to look out the
window and thought for a moment.
“Well, I guess, you know, be kind to
other people,” she finally said. “Always find that place inside of other people
where you can connect. I think that’s something that we talk about a lot in our
home and live out. Kindness and respect.”
Sources:
February
21, 2017 Sandi
Doughton
May
11, 2015 Nicole
Brodeur
