Innovation and IT women

Innovation and IT women

By Karen Reyna

According to Business, “innovation generally refers to changing or creating more effective processes, products and ideas […] implementing new ideas, creating dynamic products or improving your existing services” (Business, s.f.). I underlined the words that frame the topic; all of them related to new things.

To me, innovation is to make something different, to get out of the apparent and go beyond. An innovative person is that one who do things different in order to have different results. This thought is associated with an Albert Einstein’s quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” (Brainy Quote, s.f.). This means that doing things repetitive do not make sense, if we want something different in some cases the risk is a key for innovation.

Innovation is important because it is a way to adapt to the market, society is in constant evolution and improvements are needed in order to make their life easier. It is also important because it improves the way we live; innovations in medicine and technology are a clear example. Our life expectation and standards can improve because of it. How to achieve it? In my opinion, the most important thing is dedication, courage and longing to accomplish it.

I as an IT woman, I am now innovative. I am innovative since the moment I want to improve what I do; which go from the most little thing a homework, to the biggest thing, such as my job’s work. I was working in an innovative project management tool, I was developing part of it. During my work, I worked with DB and part of my job was thinking about how this software could be improved. So, I must have to think beyond the apparent, to see what the user needed or what things, graphics or characteristics could facilitate users’s life.

I think that IT women have a lot of benefits, but the problem is that in some cases, society does not see the area of opportunity for women in this area. I think that we, IT women, are indispensable in this area. Some of the benefits are related to the ability of women to be collaborative and competitive, which is an important reason why companies want to hire women; another benefit is that there are few IT women so there are a lot of opportunities. According to Iseek Careers, “Men outnumber women in most STEM careers. […] many companies want to hire and keep qualified women for STEM jobs” (Iseek Careers, s.f.). This site mentions that there are also challenges: shortage of mentors for women in STEM fields, lack of acceptance from coworkers and supervisors and coping with gender differences in the workplace.

In my opinion, although we have many benefits, there are also many challenges. These can be numbered: society, industries, family and colleagues. Sometimes men do not want women to be above them and do not let them to grow up in this area. Nevertheless, many companies are firing to involve women in IT.

A real case about the challenges to which women have to face, is the case of Jude Milhon. Her quote “Girls need modems!” supported her thinking. She was a feminist and hacker, computer programmer, defender and fighter for the active participation of women in IT. She is considered pioneered of the public’s right to the internet. Milhon became one of the first female hackers. (Instituto Asturiano de la Mujer, s.f.)

Bibliography

Brainy Quote. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

Business. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from Innovation: http://www.business.gov.au/business-topics/business-planning/innovation/Pages/default.aspx

Instituto Asturiano de la Mujer. (n.d.). Retrieved from Una historia invisiblizada: http://www.e-institutoasturianodelamujer.com/enredadas20/contenidos/lahistoria.html

Iseek Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved from Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM): https://www.iseek.org/careers/womenstem.html