This document discusses the challenges faced by women in digital careers and leadership positions. It provides statistics showing that women remain underrepresented in technology jobs, accounting for only 19% of founders of all firms and 3% of tech founders. The document suggests possible reasons for this, including a hostile workplace culture, isolation, long work hours that conflict with family responsibilities, and outright sexism. It argues that digital women can help advance their careers by leading based on their expertise, encouraging internal networks, creating online professional groups, and using digital platforms to differentiate themselves and influence change.

1. What it takes
to be a
Digital Woman
Presented by
Dr. Taly Weiss,
CEO and Founder

2. some facts
about
women

3. Achievements:
Source: Economist.com
<50% of American workforce will be women in 2010

4. Achievements:1.66
Million
Jobs were lost by women between
December 2007 to June 2009,
compared to 4.75 million jobs lost by men.
Source: Bureau of Statistics

5. The ‘Few Women’ list
Source: Economist.com
2%
of bosses in
largest US
firms
5% of bosses in
largest UK firms

6. 15
15 FORTUNE 500 companies are run by women,
and a total of 28 FORTUNE 1000 companies have
women in the top job.

7. A study found that stock in a company drops after
the announcement of a female CEO, but not after that
of a male CEO
Source: Strategic Management Journal

8. 1.5% among the 2000 world’s top performing
companies were women (=29)
Source: HBR

9. Women CEOs were nearly 2x as likely as men to be
appointed to the job from outside the company.
Women are less likely to emerge as winners in their own
companies' internal CEO tournament.
Source: Harvard Business Review Research

10. What About
Digital
Women?

11. Digital WomenWomen senior executives are still more likely to be concentrated
in consumer goods & media
Source: HBR

12. 19%
3%
In 2004 19% of firms founded owned by women. Only
3% of tech firms founded by women.
Source: Kauffman Foundation
vs

13. 5%
1.2%
Women hold less than 5% of all IT patents,
contribute less than 1.2% of open-source software
Lucinda Sanders,,CEO, National Center for Women & Information Technology
Images: unwired view

14. Among executive teams of Valley’s tech firms you won’t
find any women CTOs.

15. Among executive teams of Valley’s tech firms you won’t
find any women CTOs.

16. Among management teams of companies as Apple

17. Among management teams of companies as Apple

18. Among management teams of companies as Apple

19. Look at VC firms – all male dominated..
Source: Economist.com

20. c
How we can explain that?

21. c
Source: Vivek Wadhwa, TechCrunch, New York Times
•No difference in motivation
between men and women.
•Women entrepreneurs were as
highly educated as their male
counterparts
•Women enter SET professions in
sizable numbers.
•Women are not less competent
than men
How we can explain that?

22. c
How we can explain that?
How come 52%
of talented
women quit their
jobs?
Source: Harvard Business Review Research, 2008

23. c
How we can explain that?
"glass cliff" theory
• The hostility of the
workplace culture
• The dispiriting sense of
isolation
• Work Rhythms
• “Extreme jobs,” with their
long workweeks, travel
schedules, together with
home duties

24. How we can explain that? Sexism..?.
“The reason the “hard sciences” are “so much worse than other
fields, is multifaceted and rooted in the societal perception that
women simply are not as good in math and science as men are.”
Most people just don’t look at a woman and see
an engineer”
Carol B. Muller,
CEO MentorNet,
an online network for women and minorities in engineering and science.

25. “All the predatory and demeaning and discriminatory stuff that
went on in workplaces 20, 30 years ago
is alive and well in these professions.”
Sylvia Ann Hewlett,
Founder of the Center for Work-Life Policy,
How we can explain that? Sexism..?.

26. How we can explain that? Motherhood?
Culture?
“Women aren’t less capable of doing math and science, but they
do tend to be less available when it comes to working long hours
after having a child, unless they have a husband with a 9-5 job….
So either the culture in technology will be forced to change, or it
will continue to feed on canon fodder in the form of youth and
single men“
Stacey Higginbotham,
GigaOm

27. Image Source: Corbis
How Digital Women Can Enjoy Digital
Platforms?.
How Digital
Women
Can Enjoy
Digital
Platforms?

28. Lead based on what you know best

29. Lead based on what you know best
Learn from the SM on the
needs of your company’s
clients, on the needs your
competitors provide, on new
technologies.

30. Lead based on what you know best
Encourage inside
networks
(company’s web)

31. Lead based on what you know best
Encourage inside
networks
(company’s web)
Share your professional
experiences on the
company’s blog
If there’s none – initiate!

32. Lead based on what you know best
Create and manage
online groups of
professionals
in your field

33. -This is a “work around”
- Your company needs you: they need inside
employees to take part in the new media
- Women have stronger social skills
Why Digital Platforms?

34. -Your contribution is important for marketing.
-Your contribution is vital for the leadership of
your company.
- Your contribution improves development and
service
Why Digital Platforms?

35. You get a stage to differentiate,
lead and influence
Change!

36. Dr. Taly Weiss.
TrendsSpotting CEO and Head of Research
Social Psychologist, (PhD), Trends Market Researcher.
Experience: 15 years in branding and marketing.
Specialization: Digital and consumer trends.
Academic work: Behavioral Economics. People’s willingness to join
groups and share resources.
Research review
by a digital woman: