On the heels of a fantastic minnebar presentation by our very own Abbie Tuckner, as well as a slew of recent articles that have had the women of Software for Good talking, this week’s theme is…hard to define.
The theme we discussed on Monday morning was around the concept of diversity in the workplace. Fostering women in technology. Inviting more people to the table. Thinking carefully about stereotypes and the words we use, however innocent our intent.
Amazing, right? Who wouldn’t want to be part of an organization that cares deeply about gender equality, inclusivity, and thoughtful communication? But here’s the thing: none of these concepts fit neatly into a single two- to three-word theme, and with good reason.
These are BIG topics.
They’re too big for a theme of the week. They’re too big for a beautiful image splashed across our social media channels. And they’re too big for a single blog post.
Software for Good has made a concerted effort to seek out female candidates for open positions. We’ve literally put our money where our mouth is as the platinum sponsor of Girls in Tech Minneapolis. And we have a team of rad ladies working here in a variety of roles, including development. Our male colleagues respect us and we respect them.
Software for Good is a great place to be.
But there’s still work to be done. Not only here, not only in the tech industry. Everywhere. Women are valuable leaders, contributors, collaborators. We deserve a place at the table. We deserve equal pay. We deserve to have careers without sacrificing our families, and families without sacrificing our careers.
So instead of presenting a tidy concept as our theme of the week, we’re going to break form and use the theme of the week to start a messy conversation.
Over the course of the next month, the women of Software for Good are going to open up about our personal experiences working in tech and other industries, and offer up our thoughts on what we’re doing well, what we could be doing better, and what true inclusivity looks like to us.
We’d also like to open up the blog to guest authors in tech or other fields. If you have something to contribute to this conversation, male or female, we’d love to hear from you. Email me at abby@softwareforgood.com.