Ann Schlemmer, CEO at Percona, highlighted the importance of investing in women on International Women’s Day to bridge gaps in gender equality by 2030. Despite the surge in female entrepreneurs, funding for female-led businesses in the technology sector remains low, with only 2% of U.S. venture capital funding going to female-led businesses in 2023.
The issue extends beyond funding and into the open source community, which is predominantly male. The lack of representation for women in this community raises questions about inclusivity and the reasons behind why women are less likely to contribute. While the number of women enrolling in computer science degrees is increasing, the volume of contributions from women in open source projects remains significantly lower than that of men, possibly due to a lack of confidence in their coding skills.
Schlemmer emphasized the need for investment in the community that goes beyond encouraging code contributions, including valuing documentation, events, collaboration, and businesses supporting open source projects. To create sustainable businesses committed to open source, inclusivity must be an active effort, reaching out explicitly to women, non-binary, and third-gender individuals to boost their confidence in getting involved and bringing their skills to the community.
The challenge for the technology industry, particularly the open source community, lies in moving beyond the notion of being purely meritocratic and recognizing the personal, project, and business-level benefits of inclusivity. Valuing all contributions, not just lines of code, can lead to increased diversity of thought, better problem-solving, and innovation within communities. Investing in making the contribution process faster, easier, and more welcoming is essential to increasing participation and success in the open-source market.
Schlemmer stressed the importance of closing gaps for those looking to contribute and supporting entrepreneurs in the open source market to achieve overall success. With increased support for women and other underrepresented groups, the industry can benefit from a broader range of perspectives, ultimately leading to greater innovation and advancement. Investing time and resources into creating a more inclusive environment for all individuals involved in technology will be essential for achieving long-term goals around gender equality and diversity within the open-source community.
