How a merit scholarship can empower women in tech

As a woman in tech, I've faced my fair share of challenges. For the past 15+ years, I've been the lone female voice in many rooms. The only woman engineer, the only woman founder, the only woman panellist. Recently, we surveyed 600+ Product Managers to create a salary benchmark report. Only 15% of participants were women. When I tried to understand why such low representation, I realised 15% female participation was the best I had seen at good companies and well-organised conferences too! I see this with my daughter as well. She loves robotics but is often one of the only girls in her classes. I constantly hear it from my female friends, who struggle to get back to work because they don't have the support they need. Honestly, no country in this world has progressed without high female participation. But whenever this topic comes up, the instant reaction is to think of ways to enforce woman representation, almost like a quota system. IMO, that is non-productive in a merit-driven society. I believe the fundamental way to solve this problem is to help talented young women master the skills & provide wholesome mentorship to balance personal AND professional goals keeping our cultural fabric in mind. I'm thinking of launching a merit scholarship for women who want to break into tech, starting with product management. If you believe in the power of empowering women, please lend your support. Whether it's offering to mentor or simply spreading the word - every little bit helps. Leave a comment below and let me know how you'd like to get involved. I want to see what we can achieve together!