In a March 16 article titled "Stunning Data," San Diego Business Journal's Jay Harn discussed the
San Diego Tech Women's Summit noting "the latest data shows that the numbers for women in high-tech are still less than 25 percent of the industry’s workforce. This is better than it was just a decade ago, but the most disturbing data is a 50 percent women exit rate."
"Athena, a local voice for women in STEM leadership, and five other influential regional affinity groups: Blacks in Tech, Designing Women, Girls in Tech SD, #LatinaGeeks, and Women Who Code SD," Harn continues, "met together for what has been described by participants as an extraordinary collaboration. The 1st Annual San Diego Tech Women’s Summit (SDTWS) was held March 7 as part of San Diego’s International Women’s Day celebration, and held on the Qualcomm campus. More than 300 tech women attended this nine-hour Saturday career and resource fair that also featured assistance from the Women’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) of Intuit, Qualcomm and Sony Playstation, which showcased their “culture code” and internal programs that welcome and support women in the industry."
"Holly Smithson, Athena CEO, said that the startling data calls for women to support each other, and share resources “to keep you in the game.” Although much of the information shared was sobering," Harn added, "Smithson said that it only strengthened a deep sense of purpose among those attending and a decision was made to do it again next year."
Although many of us were stunned at the data, everybody felt a sense of hope. The data shows us we need to continue this conversation,” she said.