The Best Cities for Women in Tech

Based on a research conducted by SmartAsset.com in February, 2016, the list of top 10 cities for women in technology has been revealed. In this research, 4 major factors were taken into account: the percentage of tech workforce that is female, the gap between men and women’s salaries, women’s median income and three-year tech employment growth in that city. The research team used Census Bureau data to evaluate 58 metropolitan areas.

San Francisco – the hub of tech jobs didn’t appear in the list for the two major reasons: skyrocketing housing prices and the fact that women earn only 85% of salaries of their men counterparts. Moreover, 75% of tech positions in San Francisco are held by males. Other tech hubs such as San Jose and Seattle have similar ratios.

Whereas, in some other cities, there is a better culture of payment equality among men and women and also percentage of women workforce is not too low.

Here’s the list of best cities for women in technology field. The percentage figures in bracket indicate tech jobs held by women.

• Washington D.C. (40%)
• Kansas City, MO (34%)
• Detroit, MI (44%)
• Baltimore, MD (34%)
• Indianapolis, IN (29%)
• Chandler, AZ (28%)
• New York, NY (26%)
• New Orleans, LA (38%)
• Denver, CO (24%)
• Fremont, CA (25%)
• St. Paul, MN (26%)

In top-ranked Washington, D.C., pay for women is statistically equivalent to the pay for men. There is no gender pay gap in D.C. Kansas City ranked second and its tech community continues to stand out for both pay and the makeup of its tech workforce.

The Most Powerful Women In Tech Industry

The tech world is fast-moving, highly competitive and male-dominated. But some of the most prestigious and best-remunerated roles are held by females.  These women are steering in a new era of female tech leadership.

Below are the most powerful women in tech from around the world in 2016.

Sheryl Sandberg – COO, Facebook - In June 2012, Sheryl Sandberg became the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors. That same year, she made Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. She supporting continued growth at Facebook and has also promoted initiatives to address the gender gap within the tech industry and is on the board of Women for Women International. 

Susan Wojcicki – CEO, Youtube - In 1999, she joined Google as their first marketing manager and worked her way up to senior vice president of Advertising and Commerce. After overseeing Google Video for some time, Susan proposed that the company acquire Youtube (which at the time was a small start-up). She later handled two of Google’s largest acquisitions: the $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube in 2006 and the $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick in 2007. In February 2014, Susan was appointed CEO of YouTube.

Ginni Rometty – CEO, IBM - Ginni heads IBM, serving in the capacities of Chairman, President, and CEO. She is the first woman to do so. Since 1991, she has held various important roles at the company and was appointed CEO and President in October of 2011. 

Meg Whitman – CEO, Hewlett-Packard - Meg Whitman has a long and varied career, serving as an executive for numerous high-profile companies. During the 1980s, she was vice president of strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company. In the 1990s, she worked for DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro. Then, from 1998 to 2008, she served as president and chief executive officer of eBay.

Marissa Mayer – CEO, Yahoo - Marissa has been the current president and CEO of Yahoo! since 2012. Prior to her employment with Yahoo!, she worked at Google as an executive and spokesperson for over a decade.

Safra Catz – Co-CEO, Oracle - Safra has been with Oracle Corporation since April 1999. In October 2001, she joined the company’s Board of Directors and was named President of Oracle Corporation in early 2004. From November 2005 to September 2008, and from April 2011 to the present, she also served as the company’s CFO. In September of 2014, she became co-CEO, along with colleague Mark Hurd.

Angela Ahrendts – SVP, Retail, Apple - Angela is new to the tech industry, but not new to leadership positions. She served as the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014, before leaving to join Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. In 2014, she was Apple’s highest-paid executive, earning over $70 million. 

Ursula Burns – Chair-CEO, Xerox - In July 2009, Burns became the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She had worked for Xerox since 1980, beginning as an intern and climbing through the ranks for the next three decades. President Obama appointed her vice chair of the President’s Export Council in 2010

Ruth Porat – CFO, Google - After working with Morgan Stanley for decades, serving as their Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President from January 2010 to May 2015, Ruth Porat became CFO of Google on May 26, 2015.

Renee James – President, Intel - Renee James has worked at Intel for over 25 years, serving in a variety of roles. She became President of Intel Corporation in May 2013. Renee is one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives and Intel’s highest-ranking woman ever. 

Technology still has a reputation for being a male-dominated field, but these women and many others are proving that gender is no barrier to success.

Re-entering the Workforce After Kids

Re-entering the IT workforce after taking time off to stay at home with kids can be difficult and emotionally challenging process for women. Many females worry about their technical skills still being relevant and if they will still fit in and adapt to a workplace environment all while juggling their new added responsibilities at home. 

Experts say transitioning back into work life can be a smooth shift with the right attitude and mind set. According to the survey conducted, 95% of female professionals said that the unique skills involved with raising children are portable to the workplace, increase confidence and energy, and enhance the ability to motivate others, tolerate ambiguity and apply past experiences in new ways.

Here are the tips for returning mothers:

• When you send IT job applications to prospective employers, do not explain the gap in your career in cover letter. Instead, you can mention it in your resume. Brush up your interview techniques.
• Be clear on your objectives and priorities. Do not hesitate to ask for flexibility or a part-time schedule, but should make the request before a final round of interviews. 
• If you are returning to a previous employer, mention your past success that highlights why you are a valuable asset. 
• Stay in touch with your employer, co-workers and prior managers during your opt-out time and follow what’s happening in IT field.
• Be honest about why you’re returning to work and what you want to get from your return. Whether it is money or career accomplishments - your motivations will guide your job search, so it’s incredibly important to know them ahead of time. 
• Before sending out applications, research through IT job search engines, such as TheGongzuo to get an idea about which technologies are in demand.
• Talk regularly with other moms who have gone back to work about their experiences and challenges.
• Consider options such as telecommuting, part-time, flexible schedule or freelancing while returning to the job market to achieve a good work-life balance.

To restart your IT career, register at TheGongzuo.com and go through the list of IT jobs. Job postings for different technical roles such as data analyst, PMO, program managers etc. are listed out on our website. Find out which role suits you best that will take your career to the next level.