Breaking the Stereotype: Evolution & Persistence of Gender Bias in Tech
07-20, 11:55–12:25 (Europe/Prague), Terrace 2B

Did you know that originally programming was a female-heavy field?
How did we get to the stereotype of the antisocial programmer (and therefore male)?

How the concept that good programmers appeared to have been “born, not made” is still affecting our tech industry and society.


I will explore the early days of computing when women were actually the dominant sex in programming. Can you believe it??
How did we get from this to the stereotype of the nerdy programmer obsessed with programming?
We will find out how this has changed and how gender bias has influenced the development of the tech industry as we know it today.

I will also dig into the consequences of gender bias in the tech industry, including the negative impacts on innovation, profitability, and the overall well-being of the industry. The talk will conclude with practical steps and solutions that companies can take to create a more inclusive and diverse tech industry.

The gender gap it’s an important issue that affects all of us. By taking action to address these biases, we can create a better future for everyone in the industry.


Expected audience expertise

beginner

👋🏻 I'm Ester, a London-based web developer passionate about clean code, workplace culture, promoting inclusivity, and GraphQL. I work at Torchbox, where we develop and maintain the open-source content management system Wagtail. My focus is on building accessible and user-friendly websites and contributing to Wagtail.

I'm involved in organising PyCon Italia, where I contribute to the website and help plan the conference. I'm also a core developer of Strawberry GraphQL, which has given me the opportunity to explore my interest in GraphQL even further.

In my free time, I attend conferences and meet-ups to learn about new trends and connect with people who share similar interests. I enjoy exchanging ideas on various topics, such as clean code, new technologies, and creating a more inclusive workspace.

You can find me on:
- Twitter: @esterbeltrami
- Mastodon: @ester
- LinkedIn: beltramiester
- GitHub: estyxx

Check out my website ester.lol - I'll be adding my talks there soon (hopefully, when I find some time) 😄