Review of Geek Girl Rising

Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens

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The technology sector continues to grow, generating billions of dollars in revenues worldwide. Yet women in tech are still being left behind. The number of women in the technology industry has declined since its peak in the 1990s due to “hostile work environments,” the gender wage gap and lack of opportunity. But authors Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens chart a sea change. They profile women leaders, mentors and investors who are forming networks, holding hackathons and raising funds for a rising generation of “geek girls.” The authors’ information will be valuable to women who envision building a future in tech industries. Their optimistic, thorough report will lend a welcome hand to any woman contemplating a future in the tech industry or trying to figure out how and where to pitch her start-up ideas.

About the Authors

Former ABC News anchor Heather Cabot is an investor and Columbia University graduate journalism professor. Journalist Samantha Walravens edited TORN: True Stories of Kids, Career and the Conflict of Modern Motherhood, and speaks about women and work.

Women with careers in tech are banding together to form networks and incubators to encourage female founders.

Debbie Sterling created GoldieBlox, a building set to teach girls the mechanics of simple machines. Her mission was to engage girls in STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and math – by challenging the gender norms of their toys. When toy companies showed little interest, Cabot and Walravens report, Sterling turned to Kickstarter to fundraise for her first production run. Goldieblox was wildly successful.

The authors profile other high-ranking tech executives, such as Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and VMware developer Diane Greene, as breakthrough heroes. Several organizations arose to support women in 2014, including Girl Develop It, Women Who Code and Google’s Women Techmakers. In 2014, the fourth White House Science Fair was the first to focus on women and girls. But 2014 also brought Gamergate – a scandal involving misogynist gamers who tried to intimidate women into leaving the field of video game design. Today, many tech companies have acknowledged the gender gap and have created incubator programs to nurture female tech entrepreneurs.

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