1903 marked the first year a woman could vote in the federal election, in 1963 women were allowed into public bars and in 2010 we elected our first female Prime Minister. In 2016 we continue to move forward – but there is still a long way to go!
In the midst of a heated political conversation about the pay gap and the gender imbalance in Australian Parliament we have been delivered a shimmer of hope – Girls In Tech have come Down Under!
Girls in Tech is a non-for-profit initiative that hopes motivate the empowerment, engagement and education of girls and women to pursue careers in technology. Why? Well, A report by the Australian Computer Society shows that today a mere 28% of Australian employees in tech are female. That’s less than a third! Girls in Tech aims to increase this percentage by offering women, young and old, the opportunity to attend workshops, panel discussions, networking functions and social engagements.
The mastermind behind Girls In Tech is none other than Adriana Gascoigne, CEO and Tech Genius! Gascoigne was originally inspired by the challenges she faced as the sole female employee at her first Silicon Valley job. Realising that poor representation of girls in tech is not an issue isolated to America GIT decided to cross the Pacific to launch their first Australian chapter.
The ball was set rolling last week at the official launch party at Melbourne’s Kelvin Club. Guests at the event were invited to become official members giving them access to exclusive events like hackathons and pitch nights, opportunities for mentorship, career development and support, and access to a global community of women in tech. We are pleased to announce that Milk It Academy will be part of the female advisory board alongside companies such as; REA Group, Slack, Data Creative, Launchcode PR, Blue Chilli, Brolly, Weave Web Communications and General Assembly.
Our very own Alita is the Marketing Director and a board member for the Australian chapter. She was there on the night to discuss what it means to be part of Girls in Tech.
“Being a member of Girls in Tech means you’re part of the World Biggest Women in Tech organisation. We’ve been created for the empowerment of women in tech. To help them guide their career by providing a safe space with mentors and events,” said Alita.
The Theme for the night was The History of Girls in Tech, a fitting setting for a room full of tech savvy professionals. Guests were treated to the sweet sounds of DJ Mel Hall and given the opportunity to try their hand at the latest Virtual Reality and HoloLens tech.
[smartslider3 slider=2]
Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis was there to help launch the event, quoting:
“Girls in Tech will play a leading role in helping to address the gender imbalance in Australia’s digital technology sector by empowering girls and women to cultivate ideas and learn new skills to advance their careers.”
“It’s not about the men in the room, it’s about the women who aren’t in the room.” @philipdalidakis at #girlsintech pic.twitter.com/GMYb3CSZIv
— Amy Mullins (@AmyWLIA) September 7, 2016
He acknowledges that as we move towards a world driven by tech it is increasingly important that we have equal gender representation for both men and women wishing to pursue STEM careers.
“If we want to become the number one tech destination across the Asia Pacific, the industry needs to step-up and create more opportunities for girls and women,” said Dalidakis.
Susan Brown and Meegan Jia-Good have been named Co-managing Directors for the Australian chapter of Girls in Tech.
“We are excited to be launching this Australian Chapter of Girls in Tech here in Melbourne.”
“Our vision is to accelerate the growth of Australian women in technology, innovation and startups by working closely with the technology industry and supporting the collaboration and success of women in technology and entrepreneurship,” said Brown.
Keep an eye on this space because once Girls in Tech finds its feet in Australia it’s going to take off running! Want to get involved? You can sign up to become a member of the world’s largest non-profit organisation supporting girls in tech here! For any enquiries or to hear about partnership opportunities you can contact Alita on her LinkedIn.