What Role Do Women Play in the World of Technology?

Throughout the history of the United States we see the struggle of a woman attempting to transgress the social conventions of her time period. We have the symbolic Rosie the Riveter depicting the increase of working women in the 1940s.  Not only that, but we also see female writers such as Jane Austen, Rebecca Harding Davis, and Emily Dickinson who changed the literature from women was perceived. There are also other keynote women such as Susan B. Anthony who led the women's suffrage movement and fought for equal pay of female teachers. Then we can't forget the brave and determined Amelia Earhart who was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic. So in our history,  it's apparent that many women have not accepted the bar placed on them. They understood that a brick wall was not an obstacle, but a challenge to thrust them forward into their dreams. These women battled for equality in their society that was mainly man and status dominated. They didn't see limitations, only aspirations. Some lost the battle but they fought, many women fought in the battle and paved a way for the equality and advancement of women in our society. As women, the positions we have available, the respect we have, and all the benefits we receive did not come at an easy price, but it took many women being willing to be persecuted, mocked, belittled, and looked down on in order to pave the way for the future.

So as women in our world today, where does that put us? It gives us unlimited vision for the future. How can we use our vision most effectively for the future, through technology! We can pave a way for the generations to come.  I was scanning YouTube and found a video by Anita Borg who founded the Institute for Women and Technology. The mission is to increase the impact of women on all aspects of technology and increase the positive aspect of technology in the world. It also raises awareness of the value of women in the technological world, ie. advancing careers etc. This was very fascinating in that many women become educators and can also become very important assets in the technological advancements of our time through using technology in the classroom. So women may struggle in some areas of advancing technology or finding careers in the technological realm, but as women in education this can be a resource that we learn, use, and take to a new level. This is an opportunity to create, imagine, produce, and do things greater and bigger beyond ourselves. As future women teachers, we have the possibility of blazing trails in technology and in the lives of students that can never be erased but can only be added to! Women no longer have to fight for their place in society but have the equal opportunity to make a difference in our world. This is where it can begin! So in the words of Rosie the Riveter, "we can do it!"