AnitaB.org has been supporting women technologists and leading efforts to build an inclusive tech ecosystem for more than 30 years. Beginning in 2019, the organization set out to join the women’s equity policy movement to engage powerful allies for change, to drive the AnitaB.org 365 fight for 50/50 intersectional gender parity and pay equity in tech by 2025.
We engaged stakeholders across tech and equity spaces, as well as our own teams, to determine where AnitaB.org could influence policy and add the most value in improving hiring, retention, and advancement among female technologists in the workplace; combatting pay inequities; and ensuring that women are winning a representative share of entrepreneurial and intellectual investments. Our efforts ultimately led us to three dominant issue areas on which we will focus and lead, to drive gender parity in the technical workforce:
- Diversity & Equity: A cross-cutting issue worthy of dedicated focus, this area includes legislative, compliance, and other efforts to ensure equity in investment and awards, and compelling increased diversity in the technical workforce.
- Labor & Workforce: A critical issue area including legislative and regulatory efforts to enhance workforce preparedness, address intersectional pay equity, prevent identify-based workplace discrimination, and support working women and families.
- Technology: A pivotal area involving the elevation and inclusion of women as subject matter experts; the need to address and protect against bias in emerging technologies; and legislative and regulatory efforts to ensure that data privacy laws and practices reflect the needs and priorities of women.
We will actively monitor and support excellent organizations leading the charge in one foundational area:
- Education: A core issue that addresses the critical junctures prior to workforce entry including investments in education programs that support early and sustained interest in STEM education and postsecondary education access and success.
We will launch our advocacy in these four primary areas, and we will continue to share updates about all of the issues we know are crucial to advancing 50/50 by 2025 through our blog and in our new Policy & Engagement newsletter.
Why It Matters
Policymakers often struggle to identify the right connections to foster sustainable and intentional public-private partnerships and rely on external thought leaders to keep them up to speed on best practices, common challenges, and likely solutions. They also require grassroots activism from individual constituents and strong coalitions to bolster and advance their policies and agendas. Sitting at the intersection of individual technologists, the institutions that train them, and the industries that employ their talents, we are uniquely suited to serve as one such valued influencer.
By creating a foundation of policy priorities built on what’s important to women technologists and their allies, we can influence systems and institutions in a way that has the greatest impact on our mission.
What Next
We’re ready to galvanize a movement for greater equity for women in tech! With our policy goals in mind, we will work with allies, leverage the commitment of Partner Companies, and empower individuals to make their voices heard on issues that impact their careers, families, and lives.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up with AnitaB.org policy efforts in support of 50/50 by 2025. It will contain updates on our legislative priorities, interesting policy news relevant to women in tech, and plenty of events and opportunities for becoming further engaged in the civic process.
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