Washington - TechCrunch reported last year on the
"pipeline problem" created because a mere 18 percent of undergraduate
computer science degrees and 26 percent of computing jobs are currently held by
women.
In the corporate world, only five percent
of leadership positions in the technology industry are held by women. Alarmingly,
the share of women in the US
computing workforce is projected to decline from 24 percent to 22 percent by
2025, according to research done by Girls Who Code. Attracting and then keeping
more women in technology is a big challenge for businesses big and small both
here and in most of Europe.
Except
Russia.
A report from the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recently found that, in Russia, 41
percent of people in scientific research are women. The number of women
inventors in Russia
number more than three times that of other western countries. Why Russia?
"Most of the girls we talked to from
other countries had a slightly playful approach to STEM [Science, Technology,
Engineering, Math], whereas in Russia,
even the very youngest were extremely focused on the fact that their future
employment opportunities were more likely to be rooted in STEM subjects,"
a researcher explained in this BBC report.
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For Russian girls, technology training
starts at an early age. Parental encouragement is strong. Female technology
role models are plentiful. There are more female teachers than males in the
country and they preside over a more general and neutral curriculum. It's
cultural and it goes back to the Soviet era, where science was proclaimed a
national priority and technical education was open to everyone, regardless of
gender. As a result, young Russian girls view STEM more positively and this has
resulted in a more lasting interest.
Then there's just personality. Some argue
that Russian women are just well tougher. Whatever the reason, try not to be
surprised if you find yourself interviewing more female scientists, engineers
or programmers who come from Russia.
"Compared to the rest of Europe, we
just don't stress about 'women's issues,' " the head of an organization
that connects Russian talent with job opportunities in the UK told the
BBC. Yes, she's a woman.
WASHINGTON
POST