Women have been at the heart of iD Tech from the beginning. We were founded by Kathryn and Alexa, a mother-daughter duo back in 1999, a time in which women-founded tech companies were virtually unheard of.
We launched our first weeks of camp specifically for girls a few years later, and have watched the gender parity numbers climb steadily each year since. Then, in 2015, we changed the game with our designed-for-girls program, Alexa Café.
And that was just the beginning!
Since its inception, Alexa Café has grown to encompass the Coding Her Future initiative, an effort to achieve 50/50 gender parity across all of our STEM programs and inspire the next generation of women innovators.
We've been fighting to increase the numbers of girls in STEM for over a decade, and we have no intention of slowing down now. In a world in which women comprise just 18% of computer science college graduates, we have our work cut out for us in 2022 and beyond!
Diversity in iD Tech's Leadership
Not only were we founded by women, but iD Tech's stats on diversity in the workplace are stunning, especially compared to other, bigger tech companies who may have diversity plans in place but may be struggling to meet their goals. Over 60% of our full time employees identify as female, and of iD Tech's full-time management positions, 53% are held by women.
"We’ve built an inclusive, dynamic, and supportive culture that stems from the vision of our founders, Alexa and Kathryn," says Kate, manager of our People Services department. "It’s something that I’m really proud to be a part of because we aren’t just talking about gender parity, we are leading by example."
This is truly unique, especially in Silicon Valley, where the average percentage of women executives hovers at an abysmally low 11%. iD Tech comes in at more than double that number!
Gender diversity in iD Tech's Summer Staff
Our summer staff reflects our commitment to gender equality across all the divisions of our camps. Our Directors and Assistant Directors, hired to oversee and manage our on-campus locations, have a similar ratio to our full-time staff with the majority of the positions belonging to women (yup, that's over 50% again!).
This means our campers are experiencing women in leadership roles and seeing female leaders firsthand. Mentorship matters! In fact, studies show that personal connections with women in STEM dramatically increase girls’ confidence, knowledge, and interest in future careers.
We hear the adage "if she can see it, she can be it": article after article has proven the truth in this statement. It is infinitely easier for a child to imagine herself in a leadership position, especially a STEM-related one, if she can actually see women in those roles in her real life. iD Tech is providing those role models every single summer.
“I love to see that women are standing out statistically because that gives us a bigger opportunity to provide professional development for the next generation of female leaders in the workforce, specifically in the fields of science, technology, and engineering,” says Joy Meserve, COO of iD Tech.
These stats and hiring practices apply across all iD Tech divisions, not just our female-only Alexa Café.
Want to Help us Make a Difference?
iD Tech offers Alexa Café, our designed-for-girls program created to make STEM uniquely accessible for young women who are interested in STEAM. This division is ideally suited for girls who want to explore tech subjects in a uniquely empowering environment.
The ultimate goal? 50/50 gender parity across all iD Tech divisions. You can help by encouraging your daughters, nieces, granddaughters, any young women in your life to attend a co-ed environment and get involved. Encourage them to enroll, participate, speak up, and make their voices heard. And encourage the young men in your life to welcome diversity in their environments as well; teach them that brilliant ideas are brilliant no matter the source, that all voices deserve to be heard equally.
Ready to challenge the status quo? Check out our list of locations and find a camp near you to enroll your youngsters today. Space is limited, so don't wait!