The tech industry is a male dominated sector and so is entrepreneurship.In recent years many people have been making an effort to increase the amount of women that exist within the tech industry and entrepreneurship. The statistics surrounding women are bleak and emphasize the need for women in the industry, but queer individuals struggle even more to partake due to the lack of absence of queer role models within the tech sector. It also does not help that there is little to no quantitative data looking at queers within the sector.
Diversity and inclusion in tech has been an ongoing problem. Large companies like Google, Facebook and Apple have struggled for years to increase the number of employees from marginalized groups, especially in technical and leadership roles.If some of the biggest companies in the world struggle to diversify their hiring, it is no surprise the tech sector in Toronto is lacking as well.
Venture Out will is a conference meant to include LGBT individuals in the tech industry. It will offer a variety of resources and allow individuals from across Toronto and Ontario to connect. Venture Out, aims to create a network of people that can support and rely on one another, and includes a full day of panel discussions, workshops, a hiring fair and networking events. Other LGBT inclusive events have been created for other industries, but there seems to be a lack of inclusion of Queer individuals within the Toronto and Ontario Tech sector.
Venture Out will is a conference meant to include LGBT individuals in the tech industry. It will offer a variety of resources and allow individuals from across Toronto and Ontario to connect. Venture Out, aims to create a network of people that can support and rely on one another, and includes a full day of panel discussions, workshops, a hiring fair and networking events. Other LGBT inclusive events have been created for other industries, but there seems to be a lack of inclusion of Queer individuals within the Toronto and Ontario Tech sector.
Link: https://nowtoronto.com/news/diversity-in-tech-gets-a-boost-with-lgbt-conference-venture-out/
This is a very interesting topic Stuart! There is definitely an issue when it comes to marginalized groups and there population within the tech industry. I would like to ask for some clarification about LGBT individuals in the tech industry. Is there a lack of LGBT individuals within the industry because there is a lack of role models within leadership positions in the industry that would lead the way for others to enter the industry or is it because companies like Google, Facebook and Apple are discriminating and not hiring them because of their sexual orientation? I would hope that it is because there is a lack of leaders within the industry.
ReplyDeleteThere is for sure a lack of leaders and role models for LGBT individuals in the tech industry. Companies like you mentioned are doing their best to hire diverse individuals, but I think it mostly has to do with the fact that the industry itself is slanted for men, more than women, and women more than LGBT individuals.
ReplyDeleteGood choice of topic! It is great to see that the tech industry is branching out to marginalized groups. It seems like often, individuals like minorities are afraid to go into such competitive industries, like the tech industries, due to past discrimination. If you have noticed, job postings often now mention how they do not discriminate based on gender, race, ect. It is great to see how changes are being made slowly, even though there is more that could be changed.
ReplyDeleteIt's so encouraging to see programs like this! However, playing devils-advocate, one could be concerned about creating networks of marginalized entrepreneurs that are too niche/small. Considering what makes innovation ecosystems successful is in part, the breadth of ideas and experiences encapsulated in them -- perhaps we need to think bigger. Maybe we can incorporate other programs (like the Women in Tech initiatives that have been written about on this blog) to create programs/networks of all marginalized entrepreneurs to increase the flow of diverse knowledge and perspective while ensuring a 'seat at the table' for all individuals.
ReplyDeleteIn recent years, there have been an increasing number of programs and initiatives to encourage and promote women in entrepreneurship and tech, but I have not personally been aware of too many for the LGBTQ+ community, besides Out on Bay Street. It was really awesome to see the Venture Out conference allowing individuals within the LGBTQ+ community to network with one another and promote greater inclusivity within the tech space.
ReplyDeleteI know that there are more and more tech companies who hire Diversity & Inclusion teams within their organization (i.e. PwC, Shopify). Some initiatives that Diversity & Inclusion employees work on include having preferred pronouns on employee profiles, implementing gender neutral bathrooms at the office, mental health days, promoting underrepresented vendors, people analytics for talent acquisition targeting for minorities, and more.