Although many workplaces have become much more diverse over the past few decades, the vast majority of software engineering, cybersecurity, and other tech jobs are filled by men. However, a diverse workforce (especially in the IT industry) means a richer company culture, happier and more productive employees, and the ability to innovate products that appeal to all sectors of society.
While women are still very much under-represented in the tech industry, there has been a small but steady increase in the number of female technologists over the past years, according to AnitaB.org’s latest report, which is promising.
By the way, did you know that Bulgaria has the highest proportion of female ICT specialists in the EU?
A lot of progress has already been made in terms of diversity but unfortunately we still have a long way to go. With the help of ground-breaking, global organizations and initiatives that support the promotion of women in the workplace, females are being encouraged more than ever before to consider careers in STEM, and tech employers are being encouraged to employ women.
Here are just some of these organizations and initiatives:
WomenTech Network believes that women are just as (if not more so) competent as their male counterparts in the tech industry. They regularly arrange networking events and provide mentorship programs and opportunities for professional growth for female tech professionals throughout the world.
Women Who Code was started back in 2011 and initially served the organization’s local community. Today, WWCode has a whopping 230,000 members—software engineers, data scientists, solutions architects, and more—in 122 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. Joining Women Who Code will give you access to coding resources, a global community, and the WWCode job board.
Tech Ladies is a leading platform that provides women with information on up and coming positions in the tech industry and provides useful information on a wide range of tech companies.
Women in Tech SEO (WTS) is a global community of women in Technical SEO and beyond, helping thousands of women in SEO and marketing to share knowledge/experiences and learn from one another. Founded in May 2019 by Areej AbuAli, WTS now boasts over 8,000 global members and more than 40,000 followers who connect through online groups and in-person festivals held in London, Berlin, and Philadelphia.
Girls Who Code understands that careers in the tech industry still seems unattainable or unattractive to many young women. Their goal is to change this perception and to change the image of a programmer.
Women in AI provides support and mentorship to females in the field of AI. This popular organization is the first of its kind to support women in AI and boasts over 5,000 members in more than 100 countries. They have played a large role in promoting more diversity in their field.
With more than 30 global chapters and over 12,000 community members, WiD is a non-profit international organization that exists to increase gender diversity in the field of data science and analytics.
If you are a female tech professional, joining Ascend is free of charge and will provide you with excellent support and information on how to excel in your field.
With members in more than 100 countries, Women in Tech is dedicated to closing the gender gap in the tech field. Their global reach means that they are able to support the education and training of women who wish to pursue tech careers.
Ada’s List was initially founded to provide a supportive and useful community for women in the tech field. Although they never dreamed that they would become as large as they are today (with over 7,500 members), they simply wanted to help women find great jobs, suppliers and vendors, in addition to providing great quality advice.
Whether you are a young, female tech professional or an experienced tech leader, PowerToFly has something for all women in the tech industry. They have many useful resources, information on new jobs and a community of like-minded professionals.
Elpha is a community of women professionals in the tech industry. On this platform, women can ask important questions, join their mentorship program, and encourage one another in a supportive environment.
Born in Helsinki, Rails Girls is nowadays a global movement designed to encourage more women and girls to get involved in coding. Since 2010, they have arranged hundreds of free Ruby on Rails workshops around the world.
With over 100 local Meetup groups, PyLadies is a global community for aspiring and experienced female developers who are passionate about the Python programming language.
Geek Girls Carrots is one of the biggest communities of women in tech. Established in Poland in 2011, this organization now operates all around the world. Through meetups, tech workshops, and other events, it is striving to bring more women into the tech workforce.
Like other initiatives and organizations mentioned in this list, Girls in Tech is working to eliminate the gender gap in tech. Since 2007, it has grown into a global community with more than 50 chapters and over 100,000 members around the globe. Programming and events vary by chapter based on local interests and needs. Membership is free.
Founded by Rachel Thomas and Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg in 2013, LeanIn.org is a movement dedicated to helping women achieve their ambitions. One of its key initiatives—Lean In Circles—provides an opportunity for tens of thousands of women around the world to meet with peers, get/give peer mentorship, and sharpen their skills. Lean In’s partner network now boasts over 1,400 companies and organizations, including LinkedIn and Salesforce, who are publicly committed to gender equality.
With a few dozens of local communities in different countries, AnitaB.org is rightly considered one of the leading organizations for women in technology. All its events and programs are aimed at promoting diversity and helping women to achieve success in tech.
Ladies that UX is a welcoming and collaborative community of women who work in UX. They meet monthly to talk about UX and exchange knowledge. The community has a growing number of local groups based in different cities worldwide, including Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Boston, Seattle, and Melbourne.
Women Who Tech works to get more women-led startups funded. Through the Women Startup Challenge, an 8-week virtual program, they provide funding, mentoring, and other resources for women entrepreneurs building innovative tech products to solve real-world issues.
Lesbian Who Tech & Allies is a global community of over 70,000+ LGBTQ women, trans and non-binary individuals in technology (and the people who support them).
Latinas in Tech was started in Silicon Valley in 2014 and has since grown into a 12,000-strong community with chapters in 15+ locations, including Austin, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Mexico, New York City, and Seattle. Their mission is to connect, support, and empower Latina women working in tech and to create safe spaces for learning, mentorship, and recruitment. The members of Latinas in Tech meet regularly to advance their careers and host professional development workshops every week.
Founded and led by females, CodeOp is a women-focused tech school offering Full Stack Development, Data Analytics, and Product Management courses. The school operates globally through its remote programs and has campuses for in-person learning in Barcelona (HQ) and Kuala Lumpur. CodeOp is not just a bootcamp; it’s a community of 18-45 year old women, trans, and gender non-conforming people from over 50 countries worldwide.
Like Minded Females (LMF) Network CIC
LMF Network CiC is a community founded by Sonya Barlow to reduce inequalities in tech, entrepreneurship, and digital by providing a foundation to succeed to women and underrepresented minorities. Since 2018, they have delivered more than 200 workshops globally, trained over 20,000 people, and partnered with some of the world’s top companies like Google and Vodafone. The network currently has chapters in the UK and Canada.
Women Techmakers is Google’s global program dedicated to helping women thrive in technology through visibility, community, and resources. Every year, it brings together thousands of women in tech, worldwide.
Women Hiring Circle aims to support women who are seeking a job opportunity or the next step in their career. It’s a community-driven initiative that opens a dialogue between female professionals to successfully reach their potential in the local job market.
Since its founding in 2014, RightBrains has been laser-focused on increasing the number of women working in digital-focused roles. Its platform offers an opportunity for women to learn, network, and get inspired for a career in digital technology.
Techionista is a Dutch platform that encourages women to consider a career in tech and provides support for such women.
SheSharp is a nonprofit aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion in tech and entrepreneurship. They regularly host events—public talks, (coding) workshops, panel events, or interviews—covering topics like data science, machine learning, IoT, front end development, DevOps, QA, and much more.
This initiative exists to help women develop the necessary skills to flourish in the tech sector. In addition to a 5-month mentorship program, they regularly host meetups, workshops, and other events in Amsterdam.
The purpose of Mimmit koodaa, the program powered by the Finnish Software and E-business Association and its member companies, is to shatter stereotypes about women in coding and bridge the gender gap in the Finnish software industry. The program currently boasts over 6,000 adult women participating.
Founded in 2015, Women in Tech DK is a Copenhagen-based non-profit on a mission to inspire more females to pursue a career in tech or build their own startup. The events and workshops Women in Tech DK regularly organizes are a great opportunity for networking and sharing experience/ideas.
Since 2014, TENK has been on a mission to support and promote women in the technology industry in Norway. Through lectures, workshops, and events in collaboration with local companies, it inspires and encourages girls and women to consider a career in the field of ICT. (The official website is only available in Norwegian.)
A Woman’s Place is an initiative by Invest Stockholm to promote the provision of equal opportunities for men and women. Klarna, Spotify, King, Truecaller, Accenture, IZettle, and Telia are just some of the companies that have already joined this initiative. If you’re looking to improve the gender balance at your company, you may want to consider joining in too!
This German organization aims to empower and encourage girls and women in leadership and STEM positions.
The We Shape Tech community was founded in 2016. Today, it boasts over 1,500 members and more than 5,000 followers on social media platforms.
Czechitas is a non-profit organization that educates, inspires, and encourages children and women to become part of the IT industry. They organize lectures, one-day workshops, and long-term courses in areas such as Programming, Web Design, Graphic Design, Testing, Data Analysis, and Digital Marketing. Courses are held regularly in major cities across the country.
The Portuguese Women in Tech community was launched in April 2016 to address the under-representation of women in Portugal’s tech and startup scene. Besides organizing events and workshops for women in tech, the group is also offering a 5-month mentorship program for female tech students and recent graduates.
allWomen is a Barcelona-based initiative offering Web Development, Data Science, UX/UI Design, and Product Management courses for women, by women. Both on-campus and remote learning options are available.
50inTech is a platform connecting women in tech with fellow peers, companies, and investors to achieve greater diversity and inclusion in the industry. (Joining the platform is free.) In addition to regular events, the team also launched a podcast dedicated to building a successful career in tech and growing a business.
Regular meetups for women in fintech in Paris. The community currently consists of 300 members.
SheTech has been active in Italy since 2009. Through networking events, workshops, and other activities, it aims to bridge the gender gap in the tech and digital world. (The official website is only available in Italian.)
The AJ Ty v IT project is aimed at motivating high school girls to choose a career in the IT sector, through workshops, discussions and meetings. However, there are also workshops aimed at helping adult women gain knowledge in tech and find a new job. (The official website is only available in Slovak.)
Women Go Tech is a Lithuania-based program that counsels and mentors women who would like to pursue careers in tech.
Based in the UK, DevelopHer is a non-profit organization seeking to encourage women to reach for the stars as entrepreneurs, tech or digital professionals.
This excellent organization aims to address gender inequalities in the DevOps industry.
SheCanCode believes that more women should be in the tech industry and help companies to hire competent, female tech professionals.
Women in Data UK was formed in 2015 to increase female representation in data science and analytics. Today, it’s the UK’s largest women data professional event and network.
Code First Girls is working to increase the proportion of women in tech through education and community. Over the past three years, CFG has taught over 19,000 women to code. If you’re looking to develop your tech skills, network with other like-minded women, and get connected to exciting jobs and opportunities, follow this link. If you’re looking to hire female tech talent, head this way.
Witty Careers is focused on equipping Black and Minority-Ethnic women in the United Kingdom with the skills to build a successful career in technology, with the goal of making the UK tech industry more diverse and inclusive. In collaboration with Microsoft, Uber, Pivotal, and other tech companies, the organization holds workshops that provide participants with training, mentoring, and access to career opportunities.
Running workshops on Node.js and JavaScript, MusesCodeJS believes that women are just as competent as men when it comes to IT careers.
Code Like a Girl is a Melbourne-based initiative that supports women to enter, and succeed, in the world of coding. Besides regular events for women in tech, this social enterprise is offering coding camps for girls and online short courses for adults. What’s more, they are connecting Australia’s leading companies with talented women looking to get their foot in the door.
She Codes (formerly Perth{web}Girls)
She Codes encourages more women to consider coding and tech careers.
CLC is Canada’s nationwide initiative aimed at equipping women and youth with tech skills. Their programs are offered in over 30 cities across the country. In 2019 alone, the organization hosted 3,100 hands-on, beginner-friendly workshops, meetups, courses, and camps.
With over 1,000 members in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia metro region, the main goal of WIT is to encourage greater numbers of women in the technology field.
Girl Develop It believes that no one should be denied a career in tech because they are female, non-binary or economically disadvantaged. They offer inexpensive software and web development programs and are passionate about more women in tech.
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS)
As the name suggests, WiCyS is a fast-growing group of female cybersecurity professionals. The organization’s long-term goal is to ensure that there is much more gender equality and diversity in the field and they do this by encouraging the recruitment and promotion of women in cybersecurity. WiCyS offers mentoring, training programs, scholarships, virtual and in-person conferences, leadership series, career fairs, webinars, and more to women at all stages of their cybersecurity career journey!
Founded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, TechWomen operates throughout the world with its main goal being to be a central platform on which aspiring, female tech professionals can come together and inspire one another. It mainly consists of professionals located in Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East, as well as STEM professionals in Silicon Valley and San Francisco who play a mentorship role. Certain requirements need to be adhered to in order to join this fantastic organization (i.e., you need a bachelor’s degree as well as at least 2 years of professional experience in the STEM environment). Women are also invited to exchange programs that take place at leading tech companies in San Francisco.
Kode with Klossy is a free two-week summer program that teaches US girls aged 13-18 to code, inspiring them to consider pursuing a career in STEM.
Started as a small coffee meetup in NYC in 2015, Tech Ladies is nowadays a worldwide community with 100,000 members. Through a supportive online group, a free job board, and opportunities to learn, it helps women and non-binary people in tech grow their careers.
Through mentorship, community engagement, and educational resources, Rewriting the Code supports and empowers college and early career women with a passion for technology to thrive in the industry. The community currently boasts over 9,500 members.
Write/Speak/Code is on a mission to promote the visibility and leadership of women and non-binary technologists through peer-led professional development. The organization runs conferences, workshops, and events across the country and currently has communities in at least six major US cities such as SF, NYC, Austin, Seattle, LA, and Chicago.
League of Women Coders brings the brightest female minds together to discuss tech, hack on projects, and share ideas. Every month, they run meetups in NYC and Washington, DC.
With over 11,000 members and 7 active chapters, Techqueria is the largest community of Latinx professionals in tech in the United States. The majority of the members are engineering, product and design professionals with three to five years of experience. Techqueria provides them with the resources and support they need to thrive and become leaders in the tech industry. The organization has an active Slack community with a #jobs channel.
#LatinaGeeks is a nonprofit dedicated to educating and inspiring Latinas to embrace technology through hands-on workshops and community events. The organization has volunteer-led chapters in Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Orange Country, and San Francisco.
TECHNOLOchicas is a national initiative designed to raise awareness among young Latinas and their families about opportunities and careers in technology. Their ambassadors speak at events, volunteer at workshops, participate in interviews, and organize outreach activities in their community.
GirlScript is India’s biggest community supporting diversity in tech. It is active in over 50 cities of India! The organization helps women and LGBT individuals to take their first steps in tech/programming.
Tech.WE is NASSCOM 10,000 Startups’ program focused on empowering, inspiring, and driving women tech entrepreneurs across India to sustain and scale their businesses. It provides them with access to the networks, connections, learning opportunities, and resources needed to build scalable, profitable, and global businesses.
Launched by Zone Startups in 2016, empoWer is India’s first accelerator program for female entrepreneurs. The program lasts six weeks and provides participants with mentorship, peer networking opportunities, and connections with investors.
WiT India aims to increase women’s participation in STEM by providing resources to upskill, progress, and find and right opportunities in the field. Here’s a list of its active communities. Both aspiring and seasoned female tech professionals are welcome to join.
Organized by a Japanese tech company, MercariDev is a meetup group for English-speaking developers in Tokyo. All events are free and open to techies of different skill levels.
Men and women naturally view the world differently and this varied perspective can result in improved team problem solving and a greater number of innovative ideas. If you’re looking to bring more diversity to your company, turn to the communities above to find female tech talent. Posting your IT jobs to Relocate.me can also do the trick!
Alexandra is a marketing enthusiast with a passion for launching and growing HR-Tech products, such as Relocate.me. She believes content marketing is about delivering high-quality content that provides value—not just generating leads. Alexandra has been involved in tech recruitment since 2016.
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