Since being launched by Axosoft a few months ago, the #ItWasNeveraDress campaign has captured the attention of over 20 million people in an effort to change the way women are perceived in technology and all fields. As a result, a partnership between Axosoft, SmartBear Software and MassTLC was formed to organize the #ItWasNeverADress ““ Women in Tech Panel Discussion. The event, which was held at SmartBear’s global headquarters in Somerville, Massachusetts on September 23, 2015, covered options for enhancing work environments and collaborative activities promoting the inclusion of women.
According to the Progressive Policy Institute, 730,000 high-skill tech jobs were created between 2009 and 2014, and women only accounted for 26% of them. The #ItWasNeverADress campaign was inspired by the common women’s bathroom symbol that was reimagined, replacing the dress with a cape and redefining women as superheroes in any field.
“I thought of the bathroom lady. We’ve all seen her. She’s been in that stiff, triangle dress, looking uncomfortable for a long time. And if she’s a symbol that represents women, then no wonder we’re feeling trapped, rigid and uncomfortable,” said Tania Katan, Curator of Code at Axosoft. “There’s something about that being a symbol that represents us, that doesn’t represent us at all. And we’ve just accepted it.”
The following accomplished female innovators served as panelists along with Katan: Masha Kozinets, Director of Product Management at SmartBear; Lawdan Shojaee, CEO at Axosoft; and Sara Breeding, Marketing Unicorn at Axosoft.
“We’re right now in the wake of the Ellen Pao trial, Sabine Mahmoud in Pakistan being gunned down in the street,” said Katan. “Women in technology is at the forefront, but there’s also a way larger conversation. Women in their own homes aren’t respected or valued for who they are or the skills they have. So we use the technology [conversation] as a launching pad”¦ It’s just the beginning of a conversation that people are excited to talk about, share ideas and engage.”
