April 25th marks International Girls in ICT Day, an annual celebration dedicated to encouraging girls and young women to explore opportunities in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). The day aims to address the gender gap in the tech industry by advocating for equal access, safety, and opportunities for girls in the digital world.
Initiated by the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Resolution 70 in 2014, International Girls in ICT Day serves as a reminder of the importance of providing girls with the skills and resources necessary to pursue careers in technology. It also aims to challenge negative stereotypes that discourage girls from entering tech-related fields and promote role models who inspire future generations of female technologists.
The significance of the day extends beyond commemorating the past; it serves as a call to action for creating a more inclusive and diverse future in technology. By highlighting the achievements of female tech leaders and fostering mentorship programs, International Girls in ICT Day seeks to create a more equitable technological landscape.
Various activities are organised worldwide to celebrate the day, including tech workshops, seminars, coding challenges, hackathons, and mentorship programs. These initiatives provide girls with hands-on experiences and opportunities to engage with technology in a supportive and empowering environment.
As the world continues to rely increasingly on technology, ensuring gender diversity in the ICT sector is essential for driving innovation and addressing the complex challenges of the digital age. International Girls in ICT Day serves as a reminder of the importance of empowering girls and young women to become active participants in shaping the future of technology.
Women making their mark on the IT Field
Kimberly Bryant: Founder of Black Girls Code, Bryant is an electrical engineer with a degree from Vanderbilt University. She founded the nonprofit to expose girls of colour to STEM subjects and teach them in-demand skills. The organisation aims to teach 1 million Black girls to code by 2040.
Safra Catz: CEO of Oracle, Catz immigrated to the U.S. from Israel at age 6 and earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Penn Law. She has been inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
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Radia Perlman: Computer scientist and inventor of the spanning-tree protocol, Perlman’s work has significantly impacted contemporary computer networks. She has also made significant contributions to secure network protocols and bridging technology.
Anita Borg: Computer scientist and women’s rights advocate, Borg founded the Institute for Women and Technology. She dedicated her career to advancing diversity in the technology sector and improving the representation of women in the field.
Carol Shaw: Video game creator and one of the first female video game designers, Shaw created games like River Raid and 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe while employed by Activision. Her work paved the way for women in the gaming industry.
Shafi Goldwasser: Computer scientist and cryptography expert, Goldwasser has made significant contributions to the fields of complexity theory and cryptography. She has received numerous honours, including the Turing Award, the top prize in computer science.
Susan Kare: Graphic designer and icon designer, Kare is credited with designing many of the original icons and graphics for the Apple Macintosh. Her work helped establish the visual language of modern computing.
Lynn Conway: Computer scientist and electrical engineer, Conway is well-known for her contributions to the development of computer architecture. Her work on VLSI revolutionised the science of microelectronics and paved the way for contemporary computer technology.
Margaret E. Knight: Inventor and engineer, Knight is known for her invention of a machine that folded and glued paper bags, which was granted a patent in 1871. She is considered one of the most prolific female inventors in American history.
Grace Hopper: Computer scientist and Navy rear admiral, Hopper is credited with developing the first compiler and contributing to the development of COBOL, an early high-level programming language. She is often referred to as the “mother of computing.”
Katherine Johnson: Mathematician and NASA employee, Johnson played a crucial role in calculating trajectories for early space missions, including the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
Jean Jennings Bartik: One of the original programmers of the ENIAC computer, Bartik was a pioneer in the field of computer programming. She was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ada Lovelace: Mathematician and writer, Lovelace is considered the world’s first computer programmer. She wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine, and her work laid the foundation for modern computing.
Fei-Fei Li: Computer scientist and AI researcher, Li is a professor at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Human-Centred AI Institute. She has made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, including developing deep learning algorithms for image recognition.
Jessica Livingston: Co-founder of Y Combinator, Livingston has played a crucial role in the startup world, investing in and supporting early-stage companies. She is also the author of “Founders at Work,” a collection of interviews with successful startup founders.
Megan Smith: Chief technology officer of the United States from 2014 to 2017, Smith was the first woman to hold the position. She has also held leadership roles at Google and Planet Out, a pioneering LGBTQ+ social networking site.
Reshma Saujani: Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, Saujani is dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology and increasing the number of women in computer science. She is also the author of “Brave, Not Perfect,” a book about the importance of taking risks and embracing failure.
Kathryn Finney: Founder and CEO of digitalundivided, Finney is dedicated to increasing the representation of women of colour in the tech industry. She is also the author of “Build the Damn Thing,” a book about entrepreneurship and overcoming obstacles.
Limor Fried: Founder and CEO of Adafruit Industries, Fried is a pioneer in the field of open-source hardware. She is also an advocate for increasing the representation of women in the tech industry.
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