In celebration of Women’s Month, Google is honoring women tech makers through a series of events all around the world, including the Philippines, with an aim to increase visibility, resources and a sense of community for women in the industry.
This year, Google launched a series of global Women Techmakers events to give technical women greater visibility, a wider community and more resources. Women Techmakers: Manila (Engineering the Future), held on March 8, featured talks and panel discussions by female technology leaders such as Reinabelle Reyes, Research Scientist at the Manila Observatory, and Jen Alconis, Chief Science Research Specialist of DOST’s Project NOAH. The event, organized by Google Developers Group (GDG) Philippines, also had hands-on career-planning workshops and networking opportunities.
“We’re proud of women’s contributions in a field that is generally thought to be dominated by men. “There are many Filipino women—like Reinabelle Reyes who proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity on a cosmic scale at the age of 26—who are actively contributing to our progress in science and technology,” said Gail Tan, Google Philippines Country Communications Manager. Through activities like these, we seek to inspire women and change the way they think about their role in science, technology and innovation.”
Another Women Techmakers event was also held on the same day in Sagada. The Philippines will have one more Women Techmakers event this month in Cebu on March 22.
Google believes that focusing on women-inclusion in technology is a step towards fostering diversity in all types of work around the globe, providing a better opportunity for women and other minorities alike.