It can be hard to spot us. You see long, flowing hair from a distance. Slowly, they turn and you see the beard. Alas, it's not a female in tech but Jim from IT.

For women in tech, it doesn’t take long to notice that you are often the only woman in the room. So, why aren't there more women in tech?

Growing up, I always loved technology. I would be on the computer for hours, either playing a game or dabbling in HTML and CSS to make Xanga layouts before I realized what I was doing (and before I realized Xanga wasn't cool anymore). I was good with technology and it was something I enjoyed working with. When it was time for me to choose a major in college, why did no one tell me being a Computer Science major was an option?

Overall, the number of women in technology has been declining since 1991, when women held 36% of technology jobs. According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology’s By the Numbers report, in 2017 women made up 57% of the professional workforce but only 26% of the technology industry. In addition, women were twice as likely to leave their job than men in 2016. Girls Who Code reports that roughly 74% of young girls present interest in STEM fields and computer science while only 19% actually pursue a degree in these subjects. Why are young girls who show a high interest in STEM fields choosing to pursue a degree in a different field? What is happening to women once they're in STEM fields that make them want to leave?

We will dive into why the number of women in technology is declining as well as what we, as a technology community, can do to help encourage women of all ages and levels to remain in technology.