A new era for women in technology

Sylwia Orzeszyńska, Digital Marketing Specialist
- 8 march 2024
- Career tips
- 3 min

Today, more and more women are choosing to pursue careers in IT, breaking through traditional barriers and inspiring the next generation to make similar efforts. The story of Ada Lovelace, recognised as the world’s first female programmer, is well known to anyone interested in the world of technology. We have written about female pioneers in the IT industry before: “These woman changed technologies…”. This time we would like to focus on women from the 21st century.
Their story is not only a tale of individual achievement, but also of the social and cultural changes that are shaping a new era of women in IT.
Marissa Mayer: An icon of innovation
Marissa Mayer, made a name for herself as the first female engineer at Google and the youngest of Fortune magazine’s 50 most powerful business women. Her extraordinary management skills and fearless approach to innovation have made her an IT industry icon. Mayer held a key role at Google for many years, where, as vice president, she was responsible for the development of many popular products such as Gmail and Google Maps. Her influence in shaping the company’s technology strategy and vision is unparalleled. While not all of her decisions have been met with acclaim, it is thanks to her that Google has become the undisputed search engine leader. Marissa Mayer currently serves as CEO of Yahoo!

Ginni Rometty: Technology visionary
Ginni Rometty is a prominent figure in the technology world, having spent many years in key roles at IBM, one of the world’s largest technology companies. Her career at IBM began in 1981. Since then, Rometty has progressively moved up the hierarchy, holding a variety of positions before finally being elected CEO in 2012, becoming the first woman to hold this position in IBM’s history. As CEO, Rometty focused on transforming into new technology areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics and cyber security. Her vision and determination have ensured that she remains one of the most influential figures in the technology industry.

Sheryl Sandberg: A model for future leaders
Sheryl Sandberg, who worked at Google before 2008, is particularly well known for overseeing Facebook’s advertising revolution and building a hugely successful advertising business model for the Met. This model has delivered as much as 97% of the turnover for the tech giant, reaching $117 billion by 2022. Meta’s first chief operating officer, she stands out not only as a leader in the technology industry, but also as a voice for women striving for professional success and work-life balance. Her influential book ‘Lean In’ has become a manifesto for women, encouraging them to actively engage in their careers and push the boundaries of traditional gender roles. Sandberg promotes the idea of conscious leadership, emphasising the importance of confidence, assertiveness and support for other women in achieving their professional goals. She is a symbol of strength and inspiration for numerous women in technology and in the fight for gender equality. In June 2022. Sandberg stepped down as Meta’s chief operating officer, and in January this year announced that she would be leaving the company’s board in May.

Chieko Asakawa: Accessibility pioneer
Chieko Asakawa, born in 1958 in Japan, lost her sight at the age of 14 due to an accident. This personal experience became the main impetus for her later work on technological accessibility. Already during her career at IBM, where she had been working since 1985, Asakawa dedicated herself to researching technology that would make the internet more accessible to the blind and visually impaired. Her work led to the development of tools such as the IBM Home Page Reader, which converted text on web pages into speech, enabling blind people to use the internet in ways that were previously impossible for them.
However, Asakawa did not just limit herself to working on specific technologies. She has worked with NGOs, governments and educational institutions to raise awareness about the needs of people with disabilities to access technology. Thanks to her dedication and work, people with disabilities today have much easier access to digital resources and the opportunity to participate more fully in a technology-driven society. Chieko Asakawa is therefore not only a pioneer in the field of technological accessibility, but also an inspiring example for all who strive to create a fairer and more accessible world for all.

Conclusion
The pursuit of gender equality in technology is an important goal that inspires today’s women in IT to pursue their dreams, regardless of gender or background. These prominent figures of the 21st century are not only succeeding in the IT industry, but are also becoming an inspiration for generations to come, changing the face of the technological world.
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- On 08/03/2024
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