Blog

Encouraging Women to Embrace the Technology Revolution
By Congresswoman Renee Ellmers
Citizen IBM
Monday, January 27, 2014

During my time back home in Raleigh, North Carolina, I was given the opportunity to tour IBM’s Research Triangle Park facility. During my visit, I sat down with a group of women at IBM for an insightful and eye-opening discussion our experiences in the workforce. The women I met are contributing to our country’s economic success and competitive edge through their education and raw talent, but they are only a small portion of the many brilliant women nationwide who are creating, innovating, and implementing changes in the technology sector. The women I met with are few and far from the number of women our nation needs in the increasingly important realm of technology.

While the proportion of women in the workplace has gone up – and the educational gap between women and men has decreased – a stark gender gap remains to be closed. This is particularly true in the technology sector. The technology industry continues to expand at a rapid pace, and has increased the demand for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and IT (Information Technology) jobs. Yet the entry of women into the technology field is happening at a much slower pace than that of their male counterparts.

America needs to support and encourage women who wish to embrace the technology revolution. We need to help young girls develop and recognize their passions for engineering in addition to creating and imagining. For while not every woman may want to become a computer science major, it is important to acknowledge that there are basic technical skills required in every leading industry, and the demands for them will only increase. Women are perfectly suited to take on the powerful positions that are emerging in growing technology fields, and as a society we must do more to encourage them in pursuing this path.

While there are many prominent women in technology today, our world needs more of these leaders. Today’s digital world should provide ample opportunities for success and growth to all – male or female. It is clear that our world needs more prominent women in technology, as they are demonstrating how women have become a significant force in business, innovation and entrepreneurship.

But the need for innovative women does not end in the technology sector. We see that need here in Congress more and more each day. I’m proud to serve as the Chairwoman of the Republican Women’s Policy Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Our committee hosts 19 fantastic congresswomen from all over the country, yet our ranks are a small fraction of the total membership in Congress. We need to encourage women to seek their goals, and to demonstrate to them that they can do so while balancing business and family pursuits.

Sometimes, all it takes is an invitation to participate. And after visiting IBM, I would argue that our nation is well on its way.

--Renee Ellmers is serving her second term representing North Carolina’s second district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mrs. Ellmers currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and is Chairman of the Republican Women’s Policy Committee.