What Twitter is saying about Women in Technology

Abstract

As technology continues to evolve and expand, the number of women in technology-related fields remains devastatingly low. Consequently, it is vital to determine the reasons why women are hesitant to enter these fields or leave upon entering. In addition to this, it is essential to understand the current experiences and conversations surrounding women in technology to determine what changes are needed. This paper analyzes Twitter data, including tweets and Twitter profile information. Tweets containing hashtags related to women in technology to answer the research questions, “What are the current perceptions of women in technology?” and “Are the conversations about women in technology negatively or positively influencing women to enter this field?” Approximately 200 tweets containing user profile information and hashtags were collected and analyzed to determine the diverse interests, skills, and views of women in the industry and their experiences within the field of technology. The results of this study may allow for industry stereotypes to be diminished and provide insight into the challenges and successes of women in the field.