Where Are Women in Technology?

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, an annual celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The first “how” asked of a machine

In 1843, Ada Lovelace translated into English an article by the Italian engineer Luigi Menabrea on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, and added notes of her own that ran longer than the article itself. In the last of them (“Note G”), she described step by step how the machine could calculate Bernoulli numbers. This work is widely regarded as the first published computer program.

But what truly set Ada apart was that she saw beyond calculation. She imagined that the machine need not be limited to numbers—that, properly encoded, it could work with letters, music, and images too. That is exactly the idea that leads to the computers we carry in our pockets today: a general-purpose machine that manipulates symbols.

From Ada to today

Many women have followed the path Ada opened:

Grace Hopper played a pioneering role in the development of programming languages and compilers.
Margaret Hamilton led the team that built the flight software for the Apollo space missions.
Radia Perlman made major contributions to the network protocols that underpin today’s internet.

Today, women are building, researching, and transforming every corner of technology—from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity, from game design to data science.

Equality is still an unfinished story

Still, the picture is far from equal. According to UNESCO, women make up only 31.7% of researchers worldwide and 35% of STEM graduates, a share that has barely moved in a decade. In engineering and information and communication technologies, the share is even lower.

There is no single reason behind this gap:

stereotypes such as “technology is a man’s job,”
unequal access to education and mentorship,
bias in hiring and career progression,
workplaces that are not safe for women.

Inviting isn’t enough—build it in from the start

The solution is not simply to invite more women into technology. Equality has to be built in at every stage, from education to hiring, from team culture to product design:

Visible role models, so that young girls can imagine themselves in these fields,
Mentorship, so that people stay on the path after the first step,
Fair opportunities, so that talent isn’t blocked by bias,
Safe workplaces, so that everyone can feel they belong,
Diverse experiences in decision-making, so that the technology we build serves everyone.

So, where are women in technology?

In its past, its present, and its future.

Right at the center.