Dive Brief:

• Without intervention and innovation, Girls Who Code and Accenture predict that the presence of women in IT will drop 2% by 2025, reports Market Watch. This does not bode well for a nation that creates well-paying jobs, but does not have enough workers to fill the openings.
• It comes down to either educating girls early on in STEM or watch the percentage of women with computing careers dip to 22%, down from today's 24%. 
• While recent data says fewer women are focusing on computer-related degrees, one method to help close the gap is by hiring more women to teach. Girls say they prefer having a teacher of the same gender. 

Dive Insight:

The issue certainly isn't a silent one. Various campaigns, including #MakeTechHerStory, have pushed for improved inclusion of women in the tech workforce by focusing on young women and girls and teaching them about opportunities in STEM.

But truly addressing this issue requires HR professionals and educators to collaborate. Lucrative and satisfying work is available in the field, but women are still paid less than men. Some employers have turned to anti-bias tools at the hiring stage to try and improve hiring pipelines.

However, women who enter the field also find themselves at odds in an old-boy network. Early education is a factor, but so is having mentors and programs that encourage women and put them in environments that allow them to do their best work.