Long gone are the days when young girls idolized cutesy pop stars, giggling romantic-comedy heroines, and the dreaded Disney princesses.
In an increasingly competitive technology-driven society — especially in North America — many girls are forgoing plastering their bedroom walls with posters of Miley Cyrus, Belle, or Cinderella. Instead, they are learning and reading about Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer — some of the most successful women working in Silicon Valley.
For anyone with even a bit of knowledge about the rise of digital engineering, the valley is synonymous with the pioneering of innovative technologies. Names like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are often associated with the valley, which is home to 22 Fortune 500 companies. It boasts a high concentration of startup companies, as well as $5.57 billion in venture capital investment in 2014 alone.
With impressive numbers like these, it is no wonder that, now more than ever, young girls are expressing interest in tech-driven fields and businesses. Unfortunately, hard work and determination aren’t always enough for budding female tech entrepreneurs to make it in Silicon Valley.
It’s not for lack of trying. It’s no secret that women trying to enter traditionally male-dominated fields are can be subject to sexism, exclusion, and misogyny — especially when trying to establish themselves in positions of authority.
Women are subject to a series of challenges when initiating start-ups. Is it because their proposals are sub-par? No. Nor is it because women lack the proper qualifications.
Women are underrepresented in C-level executive positions and there are fewer female top-earners in many tech ventures. A survey by Babson College in 2014 found that a mere 15 per cent of US firms had any female representation on their executive teams, and less than a quarter — 2.7 per cent — were spearheaded by a woman.
A recent story in Newsweek titled “What Silicon Valley Thinks of Women” caused controversy with its illustration, which featured a cartoon of a woman with a mouse cursor lifting up her dress — simultaneously demeaning and satirizing the struggle of the women explored in the piece. Although problematic, the article was able to shed some light on the struggle that highly qualified, completely competent women face in Silicon Valley.
Young executives cracking “gang-bang” jokes, wealthy entrepreneurs beating their wives, and a catalogue of misogynistic tweets make up only a few of the offenses committed by wealthy, successful males in the valley. These men suffer minimal consequences, as do their companies.
It’s an unfortunate truth that there is a double-standard among the sexes in these professions. Women have been fired for demanding the same level of respect and financial compensation as their male counterparts. This is an obvious problem — just ask “pushy” Jill Abramson.
The problem, I argue, is not getting women into the tech and top-management fields — U of T boasts the highest percentage of female first-year engineering students in all of Ontario at a record-breaking 30.6 per cent. The issue is breaking the glass ceiling that prevents women from riding the escalators to the top positions of these firms.
As companies evolve to see women in the top decision-making and top earning positions, there’s no more room for Jordan Belforts or Don Drapers. The culture of the tech industry is in need of a major overhaul.
Emma Kikulis is an associate comment editor at The Varsity. She is studying sociology and English. Her column appears bi-weekly.
