The strength and power of Ada Lovelace Day

8 Oct 2019 02:54 PM

The achievements of women in STEM are celebrated today (8 October) as we remember Ada Lovelace and look to inspire future generations of female tech leaders.

Ada Lovelace Day is an international event celebrating the achievements of women in STEM. Ada Lovelace was a nineteenth century English mathematician and the first computer programmer.

Today serves as a reminder of the brilliant work done by women throughout history – in times where such brilliance may not have been appreciated – and gives us a chance to look forward.

To this day, women are underrepresented across the STEM sector, in particular the tech industry where they make up only 19 per cent of the workforce. But the sector is aware of its diversity problem and employers and non-profits are working hard to remedy this. One way we can amplify the great work of women is by highlighing female role models. The importance of representation cannot be underestimated.

By raising the profile of women in STEM, Ada Lovelace Day looks to create new role models to inspire more girls to study STEM. It is essential we enable young women to make informed decisions about the subject choices and education pathways that could allow them to develop the skills and mindsets they need to succeed in the tech industry, and also motivate parents to seek alternate pathways into tech careers seriously. But it is tough to do this when tech clearly has a perception problem.

With the work being done on Ada Lovelace Day, and every day in between, we take a step closer to truly embracing diversity and inclusion to make tech the best place to work.

Today, more than ever, I’m grateful for the powerful women I’m surrounded by and hope that girls and women of all ages can be inspire by those around them too.

Throughout the year techUK is proud to continue Ada’s work. Read techUK’s Deputy CEO, Antony Walker's blog on the importance in celebrating Ada Lovelace Day.