February 07, 2025
Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program 2025 Applications Are Now Open!
Mentorship and Diversity in Tech
January 30, 2020
January is National Mentorship Month and a perfect time to highlight the importance of mentorship to creating a more diverse tech workforce, which is a Software.org priority. As our partners at Girls Who Code rightfully point out, you can’t be what you can’t see. Mentors from a variety of backgrounds play an important role in increasing diversity in tech and other STEM careers.
There is a well-documented lack of representation amongst minority groups, particularly women, in STEM careers. Fewer than 1 in 5 computer science graduates are women, and women hold only 22 percent of the 7.4 million tech jobs in the United States. Studies show that girls express interest in exploring STEM activities when they are young – but this interest tends to decrease as they get older. A lack of female role models perpetuates the gender gap, strengthening stereotypes that STEM careers are better suited for men than women.
The need to build a diverse tech workforce is urgent, and role modeling and mentorship are extremely important to address this disparity. In elementary and high school, STEM clubs and summer programs can help boost young women’s confidence by connecting girls with women who have succeeded in STEM careers. And female mentors can help young women maintain interest in pursuing careers that leverage STEM skills by promoting a sense of belonging. Studies show that female mentors increase women’s likelihood to continue studying engineering, drastically reducing school dropout rates and the number of women who change their majors.
Software.org is dedicated to promoting diversity in the tech industry. Each summer, we host a class of high schoolers in our Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. Over the course of the summer, the girls learn to code – and they connect with peers and mentors who can provide guidance on future careers that leverage these skills. We also recently partnered with the Public Leadership Education Network to help mentor a group of young college women interested in STEM careers and public policy.
In addition to closing the gender gap, Software.org works on several other initiatives to increase diversity in the tech industry. Over on TransformYourTrade.org, we highlight training opportunities and reskilling programs that people can access virtually from any location, fostering geographic diversity. And we are proud to have joined panels with the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus to discuss industry efforts to build a more diverse talent pipeline by engaging with HBCUs. The US software workforce should reflect the full diversity of the US population, and we are committed to working to make that a reality.
Connecting underrepresented groups with role models and mentors in their industry is an important first step to creating an inclusive, diverse tech workforce. To learn more about our efforts to develop the next generation of tech workers, visit: https://software.org/initiatives/
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Leticia Lewis
Director,
Software.org
Leticia Lewis serves as Director of Software.org. In this capacity, she focuses on the foundation’s workforce development initiatives, including projects promoting diversity and inclusion in the software industry. She also works to help policymakers and the general public to better understand the positive impact of software on people’s lives and on all sectors of the global economy.