At
the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting last week, the Institute of
International Education announced that they were launching a new CGI Commitment
to Action called Women Enhancing Technology (WeTech). This action is aimed at
helping girls enter and succeed in technology careers. To achieve the goals
that they have outline, the IIE recruited Google and Qualcomm Incorporated to
lead the initiative.
“WeTech is driven by our partners’ shared vision of getting
more women into the tech pipeline, from entry level to the C suite,” said Trish
Tierney, Executive Director of IIE’s Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives.
“This is good for business and good for society. Career success will enable
women to gain respect and influence in their offices, in their families, and in
their communities.”
In the United States, the percentage of computer
science bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees awarded to women has declined
from 32 percent in 2002 to 21 percent in 2012, and women make up only 18
percent of computer science bachelor’s degree recipients. Among Fortune 500
technology companies, women represent fewer than 14 percent of corporate
officers and board of director positions. (Source: CGI Press Release)
“We are pleased to be part of this collaboration
which supports women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
(STEM) education,” said Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President of Qualcomm
Technologies, Inc. and President of Global Market Development for Qualcomm.
“STEM skills serve as the building blocks for the next generation of
scientists, inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, and it is our sincere hope
that, through programs like WeTech, women around the world will continue to
enter technology fields and become great inventors.”
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