On a Thursday afternoon at North Austin’s Cook Elementary School, University of Texas neuroscience student Paula Mofor holds up a styrofoam cup while a group of girls stares intently. The students, participants of a North Austin-based nonprofit after-school program, Girlstart, have a goal to make their own insulated cups. Mofor’s goal, however, is to be a role model who many of the girls may not usually see. “In school, all of my science and math teachers were men, and my English teachers were women, so as a young girl I never thought that I would be going to UT and pursuing neuroscience,”  Mofor said. “That lack of role models definitely ate at my confidence.” Girlstart aims to increase girls’ interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields, including the high-tech industry, often associated with Northwest Austin. Since 2013, women have made up less than 25 percent of Austin’s high-tech industry workforce, according to reports from commercial real estate and research firm CBRE. In response, leaders tech companies and nonprofits in Northwest Austin are increasing efforts to boost womens’ representation in tech.

Starting early

A girl’s trajectory toward a STEM career can be altered as early as elementary school, executive director of Girlstart Tamara Hudgins said. “There is so much messaging that a girl gets that discourages or deflates interest in this field,” Hudgins said. “Around fourth grade, a developmental plane begins to shift, and girls stop wanting to opt in or raise their hand.” Mofor said she felt that way too. “I felt like if I did poorly in a science or a math course, it was like, well, it’s not even a pursuable thing for me so why bother,” Mofor said. Girlstart’s 2017 annual report states participants in its after-school programs scored higher on standardized tests and signed up for advanced science classes at a rate three times higher than nonparticipants. “If they opt into advanced math and science early, those doors will stay open longer for them,” Hudgins said. Mofor said she wishes she had a program like Girlstart while growing up, especially as a woman of color. “It’s no longer this foreign concept that they’re looking up at starry-eyed,” Mofor said. “This person came from a neighborhood like mine. She had to hustle and do things the same way I did, and she’s still where I would like to be.”

Finding support

When women enter tech or STEM careers, networking groups can help them navigate predominantly male workplaces, said Cheryl Miller, president of professional development organization Austin Women in Technology. “As much as we want to help other women in tech be successful, because we’re so scattered, we need an organization that brings us together on a regular basis,” she said. Since joining AWT, Miller said she has seen membership rise and more tech companies get involved. “There are fewer and fewer locations that are large enough to host us,” she said. “Some companies that are bigger and have space for us are opening their doors, and we are eternally grateful.” Miller said she has also seen more companies form internal organizations for women—including some in North and Northwest Austin such as Indeed, Charles Schwab, Visa and IBM. IBM has groups for employees interested in leadership roles. Some are open to men and women, and another called Elevate for Tech is for women seeking mentors, said Carrie Altieri, vice president of communications for IBM. “If you have more men in an industry, and they begin to form networking groups and take on leadership positions, they may tend to hire more in their own image, and you get more men,” she said. The Elevate for Tech program seeks to bring more gender parity to leadership. “It’s an opportunity for them to connect with other women when normally they’re not the majority,” Altieri said.

Leading a workforce

To increase the number of women in tech roles, IBM Global Diversity and Inclusion Leader Heather Howell said the company looks at different ways to recruit and retain employees, including a 12-week “returnship” for women returning to work after taking time off for family obligations or other pressures. “Even if they don’t stay at IBM, they’re ready for a career at another firm because they revamped their skills,” she said. Howell said IBM surveys thousands of employees on initiatives such as maternity leave, part-time options and free breastmilk shipping for traveling mothers to send milk home to their children. “For example, is part time an option, or is it just a wink and a nod?” she said. Companies that can recruit and retain women will see benefits, Hudgins said. “No one is perfect all the time, which is why you need a team of people working together,” she said. “A diversity of voices makes solutions better.”