Tech Trends looks for some positive stories to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day and mark #IDG2018.

It’s easy to look at the state of affairs in the world today and despair that we’ll ever live to see a world of gender equality, or even one where girls don’t grow up feeling like fear, abuse and mockery are their rightful lot in life.

Yet in today’s business climate, companies need a dynamic and diverse workforce more than ever. Those who do not champion equal representation are missing out on a big opportunity to maintain their competitive edge and outperform their peers.

It’s easy to look at the state of affairs in the world today and despair that we’ll ever live to see a world of gender equality
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Which makes this year’s International Day of the Girl Child theme – “With Her: A Skilled Girlforce” – so appropriate. It is based on the paradox between the need for educated and skilled workers in the future and the number of young women in employment, training or education, drawing attention and investment for girls to gain those skills, experience and employment.

Women are consistently underrepresented in the science and technology fields, making up only 15 per cent of the workforce in research. Factors such as implicit and explicit biases, lack of role models and quality mentoring all have an impact on the number of women applying for roles in STEM. The growth in the number of female graduates was just 3.1 per cent between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, whereas the growth in male graduates was 9 per cent.

“Across STEM, the gender imbalance remains intolerably high. Women are being overlooked for appointment to senior positions and this is having a detrimental impact on the next generation of talent to lead technological innovation. The absence of appropriate role models for girls leads to a lack of confidence in their ability, and inevitably, causes bright and talented individuals to turn their backs on promising careers in technology,” says Lindsey Kneuven, Head of Social Impact at Pluralsight.

Now is the time for women to use this momentum to press for equal footing across science and technology, she adds. “It’s the twenty-first century and barriers to employment — whether it’s gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or physical ability — should not exist.”

Kneuven believes that girls have the power to create freedom, equality and opportunity around the globe. But in order to get there, we must open up the technology skills learning that will deliver significant, lasting social impact.

“Women and girls of all ages and all circumstances have the right to thrive through equal access to education. And in today’s digital world, this means learning how to harness technology to deliver the progress that will create a better future for us all.”

On some levels there do appear to be encouraging signs: According to the latest findings from UCAS, women in the UK are 35% more likely to go to university; there are 66,840 more women now on degree courses than men, compared with 34,035 in 2007. Women attending uni outnumber men in 112 of a total of 180 subjects including psychology (81.7%), social work (88.3%) and academic studies (88.7%). Nursing remains the most female-dominated subject with 90.5% female students in 2017.

Women are consistently underrepresented in the science and technology fields, making up only 15 per cent of the workforce in research
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Yet there is still a very long way to go. The 2017 WES survey found that only 11% of the engineering workforce is female (although this was up from an even more appalling 9% in 2015). There has also been some progress according to some recent research by  Fresh Student Living which found that women currently make up 47% of employees in some STEM subjects, with a quarter of the jobs in mathematical sciences and 13% in engineering positions, as the infographic below shows.

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When Microsoft surveyed 11,500 women between the ages of 11 and 30 in 12 countries across Europe about their attitudes to STEM, it found that although many were interested in the subject early on, they tended to lose interest by the age of 15, highlighting the importance of providing hands-on experience and female role models in primary and high school.

“Unfortunately, there is a self-perpetuating cycle whereby women are put off by a career in technology that is seen to be too male dominated an industry. The resulting impact is a lack of women applying and forging a career in a sector that has so much to offer,” says Laurie Presswood, an intern working in the corporate legal team at Dell Technologies. She believes it is vital that the industry addresses its gender imbalance and puts practices in place to encourage women to develop their careers in technology.

“A huge number of my male friends went into IT jobs after studying computing, but not one of my female friends took the same path. It wasn’t until a family member discussed their experience as a woman working within the technology industry that I started to consider the number of different roles open to me.”

That change, she adds, needs to come from the very top, and she points to the example of her own CEO Michael Dell, who is part of the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change, striving for gender equality and inclusion in the workplace.

 

“Working for a business like this that truly values its female staff is helping to slowly change the perception of women working in tech,” Presswood believes.

Meanwhile, many other organizations are pioneering programmes specifically aimed at addressing those enduring imbalances for the next generation of girls.

Launched in 2009 by the Clinton Global Initiative, G(irls)20 aims to place young women at the centre of decision- making processes. through programs which make strategic investment in them through education and training, building networks, and access to opportunity both at home and abroad.

Only 11% of the engineering workforce is female
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Launched in 2009 by the Clinton Global Initiative, G(irls)20 aims to place young women at the centre of decision- making processes
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G(irls)20 works in partnership with over 50 organizations, selecting applicants who show leadership, analytical skills, and the ability to create innovative solutions to the economic challenges facing the world. It envisions a world in which women and girls are able to participate fully in the economic growth, political stability and social innovations of their countries.

These initiatives include the annual G(irls)20 Global Summit which happens this weekend. Two of the extraordinary group of 20 young women chosen to represent their countries at the global summit are:

Diana Voutyrakou

Diana, is a Electrical Engineering and Computer Science student. She focuses on the fields of Robotics and Biomedical Engineering and already has achieved her first scientific publication. Diana holds several awards from National and International Robotics Competitions, as well as an Olympic Distinction. Currently, she is working as an Educational Robotics instructor of school teams, participating in national and international robotic contests, which require knowledge of physics, mathematics, and programming principles. In addition, Diana is the founder and general manager of Unique Minds, a non-profit (NPO) whose purpose is to assist students and young adults to identify and follow their ideal academic path. She has been awarded twice as Greek Women of the Year between 18-23 years old.

Zeynep Gulin Boncu

Zeynep is a Electrical and Electronics student at one of the best university in Turkey. She is passionate about engineering coming from an engineering family, and has been part of global projects for over 10 years. Together with her family, Zeynep’s started with her Comenius project which hosted an Italian and two Indian girls. She has been a volunteer in AIESEC for 6 months and has recently been approved for a volunteer project on marketing and management in Brazil.

A related G(irls)20 Girls initiative is Girls on Boards, which invests in changing the status quo for women at decision-making tables in communities across Canada. And speaking of girls on boards, change is not all about grand global movements. There’s a huge role that grassroots initiatives can play, and every individual has the power to make a difference, as I found when I met the amazing folks at Board of this at a recent event hosted by Skullcandy in London.

We just have to do what works, and whatever it takes so that our daughters and granddaughters don’t also grow up in a world of #Metoo
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This creative start-up – headed by skateboard engineer and designer/maker Ash Baigent and illustrator/artist Rae Smith – uses creativity and skating as tools for empowerment and unity, shining a light on issues such as female empowerment and mental health.

“Our mission is to bring people together from all walks of life and our workshops provide a platform for discussing issues that often divide people – allowing them to express themselves in new ways, explore their creativity and give themselves permission to communicate within a friendly, supportive and open atmosphere,” Ash and Rae told us.

As one of the girls who attended a recent workshop recounts, she loved the concept of ‘reclaiming the skateboard’.

“I now feel more confident to learn skateboarding, and I’m inspired by the growing community of female skaters. The more female skaters can get together, the more empowered we will feel,” she says, proving that there isn’t one magic formula for supporting girls and give them the confidence to achieve their goals and dreams. We just have to do what works, and whatever it takes so that our daughters and granddaughters don’t also grow up in a world of #Metoo

“For this year’s International Day of the Girl, I hope that women around the world will begin to look at STEM careers as an area where their skills and personalities are as appreciated and valued as men’s,” concludes Presswood.

We can only hope. And fight. And VOTE. Because this, is not OK.

2 out of 3 girls in the UK have been sexually harassed in public.

It’s not a compliment. It’s not part of growing up. It’s not ok.

Retweet to join us and say #ISayItsNotOK > https://t.co/zN7QBpNF37 #DayoftheGirl #IDG2018 pic.twitter.com/cQqi7hNJ1H

— PlanInternational UK (@PlanUK) October 8, 2018

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Celebrating Girls in Tech appeared first on Tech Trends.

Jaunt launches colourful cinematic VR experience to celebrate #PrideInLondon

The beauty of the film is that it truly captures the feeling of being at Pride
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Love Letter from London is a nod to the city’s diversity released to coincide with the London Pride Festival. The four-minute film captures what is described as the city’s “most colourful Pride ever” (which is really saying something!) and hopes to immerse viewers in its jubilant #LoveHappensHere spirit of tolerance and inclusion.

Love Letter from London is a nod to the city’s diversity
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In the film, Tom Daley, the Olympic-medallist who came out publicly in 2013, talks about the experience of attending his first ever Pride. When asked what his personal love letter to the world today would say. Daley says: “Dear world, the one thing in the world that does not cost a penny is love, and I think that is one of the most important messages out there”.

London Pride this year took place on 8^th and 9^th July and smashed previous attendance records drawing more than a million supporters. This is also a historically significant year for the Gay Pride movement in the country, marking 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.

London Pride 2017 attracted more than a million supporters
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Love Letter from London gives those who weren’t lucky enough to make it to the event in person the chance to experience what celebration of LGBT+ looks and feels like; allowing audiences to immerse themselves in the thrill and vibrancy of the festival as if they’re there, walking in the parade and driving on the floats.

“The beauty of the film is that it truly captures the feeling of being at Pride, meaning attendees can virtually return to the parade, and those who didn’t make it last weekend can get a taste of the celebration, in the hope that it’ll encourage them to come along next year,” Jaunt explained in the news release.

The neon feathered production was made by an all-volunteer team in partnership between Visualise and Belong@Jaunt (Jaunt’s diversity team) as well as Whitecoat which contributed graphics and design resources. The production consisted of a five-person field crew operating a stereoscopic Jaunt ONE camera (the first professional-grade stereographic cinematic VR camera built from the ground up) and several other vehicle and body mounted 360 cameras. Presenter and YouTube star Claira Hermet helpfully volunteered both as host and Samba dancer.

“In the world’s current climate we wanted to show how love conquers all, and we couldn’t have done it without the full team effort,” enthused the film’s director Canaan Rubin.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan – an ardent supporter of Pride and champion of inclusion in the capital – also makes clear his commitment to this year’s #LoveHappensHere Pride theme:

“One of the greatest things about London is that you’re not simply tolerated or accepted by who you are; you are embraced, respected and celebrated. There’s nothing better for me as the mayor of London than to walk in the front of the parade and celebrate what is a great thing about London… you are free to be whoever you want to be, you are free to love whoever you want to love,” Khan says.

Here in London you are free to be who you want to be and love who you want to love. Happy Pride London!! #PrideInLondon #LoveHappensHere pic.twitter.com/UiNVey1cRY

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) July 8, 2017

That echoes  the sentiment of other progressive world leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who marched – together with his wife and children – at Toronto’s Pride parade this year (also sporting a very fetching pair of rainbow socks which read “Eid Mubarak”. I think it’s safe to say that world leaders really showed their true colours at various Pride events in 2017…

When Justin Trudeau marched in Toronto’s Gay Pride Parade, he wore rainbow socks that said “Eid Mubarak” https://t.co/earPehWNuc

— NYT Fashion (@NYTFashion) July 1, 2017

Projects like this continue to show the broad scope, value and potential of VR experiences, and Tech Trends is very much looking forward to seeing how that continues to develop. Watch this space.

For companies looking to get into VR/AR/MR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance on how these technologies can enhance and support your brand strategy. 

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedInand follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post A Virtual Love Letter from London appeared first on Tech Trends.

Technology can help drive innovation, but the businesses model of the future needs to be built around diversity.

It’s all too easy to get discouraged when, year after year, reports come out showing that the gender pay gap lingers around like a bad smell (average of 18% difference as of 2016 according to the IFS)

Then you turn to our most innovative industries, such as tech: There you find that 96% of VCs are men, that they only invest 8% of their money on companies Co-founded by women, and discouragement starts turning to despair.

96% of VCs are men, and that they only invest 8% of their money on companies Co-founded by women
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But then someone like Cindy Gallop comes along, painting a picture of the future that’s as hopeful as it is kick-ass, and you walk away knowing that things will change – mainly because the status quo is just bad business, and it’s eating away not only at our happiness, but at our profits. And as she told a rapt audience at FutureFest last weekend – repurposing an infamous anti-gun control quote – “The only thing that can really stop someone with a bad business is someone with a better business.”

The only thing that can really stop someone with a bad business is someone with a better business.
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If you want to design the business of the future, it absolutely has to be gender equal, simply because that is what drives innovation, explains Cindy. Disruption and innovation come as a result of a creative collision between different mindsets, perspectives, backgrounds and insights.

 

“Women are crucial to the future of work and business because there is a huge amount of money to be made out of taking women seriously. They’re a key part of redesigning the business of the future because you cannot drive new-world-order business from an old-world-order place.”

That new world order requires diversity across race, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and age, but gender cuts across all those things according to Cindy. Women are very good at challenging the status quo because they are never it.

“At the top of every industry is a closed loop of white guys talking to white guys about other white guys. And white guys, you will enormously benefit when you break that loop. Because if you start any business today with an all-male-white founding team you will never own the future, if you run any business today with an all-white-male leadership team, you will never own the future. If you want to be the business of the future and you want to make a shit-ton of money doing it, that future is gender-equal and diverse.”

And there are many white guys out there who couldn’t agree more. Journalist and trend forecaster James Wallman recently worked with Yell Business on a report looking at the future of gender equality, and says that although women have been shockingly underrepresented in business in government and in the media, we’re definitely headed towards a more female future,and that’s a very good thing for everybody.

Smart companies like Apple, Etsy, Slack are bringing women into the design and creation process
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We’re headed towards a more female future,and that’s a very good thing for everybody
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“Smart companies like Apple, Etsy, Slack are bringing women into the design and creation process and that’s creating better products, better services, for men, women, for all of us.”

He acknowledges that there are still significant numbers of men who see feminism as an antagonistic movement, perceiving it as a win-lose game between men and women.

 

“That’s nonsense,” says Wallman. “If women do better, men will benefit, and I think we’re going to see a movement emerging – which I call Masculism – that shows those men how equality is good for all of us.”

There are some interesting ways in which technology can help us get to that diverse and equal future too, and one of the most exciting ones is around Virtual Reality. In virtual worlds we’re able to play with different identities and even bypass the issue of gender altogether. Wallman points to the fact that we’ll see a greater variety of gender categories emerging, with people feeling comfortable defining themselves as Pangender, Agender or Polygender, for example.

At the top of every industry is a closed loop of white guys talking to white guys about other white guys
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As we conduct more of our personal and professional interactions in virtual worlds mediated by Avatars which we’re free to shape as we please, the possibilities for bypassing unconscious gender bias are tantalizing, says Wired’s Rowland Manthorpe:

“As we live more in virtual worlds — whether in AR or VR — it will be possible to deflect and undermine strict gender divisions. You might be a woman in the flesh but a man through the AR lens. In the future, our workplaces will be far less affected by our inbuilt biases, the people we hire and work with will be more diverse, and the results will be better because of it.”

Jim Reichert, a Senior Creative Technologist at Microsoft working on HoloLens Augmented Reality projects, is another white guy who passionately champions diversity. He tells me that this sort of gender transcendence is already prevalent evident in Second Life, the original virtual world created by Linden Lab over 13 years ago, and that this is also reflected in the fact that over 60% of creators in that environment are women, significantly higher than in other areas of tech.

“I’ve met so many amazing people in the Metaverse– really brilliant people– and I have no idea what their sex, ethnicity, or country-of-origin is. It’s pretty cool,” he says.

Linden Lab is now is now developing a VR version of this social open-world called Sansar, and when I recently demoed their closed Beta I had some clue that enabling this sort of flexibility is a key part of their design. I met Linden’s CEO Ebbe Altberg in the virtual world, and after a short while it didn’t’ really seem strange at all that his deep male voice was emanating from the lips of a female avatar, dressed in a bright green Godzilla suit. “I don’t even notice it any more,” he told me.

A more diverse workplace will be a much happier one, and that makes good business sense
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There’s a lot at stake here. A more diverse workplace will be a much happier one, and that makes good business sense, since happier people are much more productive, and A LOT more creative.

“As we move from materialism to experientialism, we’re going to look for happiness and identity in experiences rather than just stuff, and what’s going to matter is quality of life,” predicts Wallman.

It’s up to us to make it happen though, and grab life and business by the balls, so to speak. Cindy recommends everybody to take time to identify what their values are. What do you most love doing? And under what conditions do you most love doing it?

“Everything in life and business starts with your values. Design an opportunity, a job, a venture around those values, and it will never feel like work. When you do that you can make your own business model. I did with my venture Make Love Not Porn because I believe the business model of the future is shared value+shared actions=shared profit, both financial and social.”

And that sounds like something that would well and truly “make the world a better place” – a rare occasion when we can deliver the Silicon Valley punch line with a straight face.

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