Top executives from Facebook and LinkedIn recently joined the Associated Press for an exclusive interview regarding the lack of female presence in the tech industry. The two social network giants will be launching mentoring programs at various colleges throughout the U.S.. Their aim is to get more women involved in studying technology and to create future employees for Facebook and LinkedIn. According to internal stats, Facebook says that women make up only 31 percent of their total staff; 15 percent work in tech. Less than half of LinkedIn’s workforce is consisted of women; 17 percent of them work in tech positions. Facebook and LinkedIn both agree that it all starts with education. The AP interview revealed that that only about 17 percent of women are enrolled in undergraduate computer science programs. With the assistance of LeanIn.org’s Lean In Circles program, both companies will focus on tech-driven peer groups and mentoring processes. Through this investment, their goal is to eventually have programs at public and private universities, nationally and internationally. Read more here…
