IBM Study: Empowering Women's Success in Technology Requires Inclusion

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Apr 19, 2017, 00:00 ET

ARMONK, N.Y., April 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new study by IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Boston College Center of Work & Family, opportunities for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are driven by inclusion across career environments, empowerment to think freely, and the ability for women to bring their "whole selves" to work.

The case study, "Empowering Women's Success in Technology, IBM's Commitment to Inclusion," outlines how IBM brings women in STEM together for development opportunities, provides them resources to advance their careers and share best practices across the industry.

IBM has a long history of supporting women in the workplace, which started in 1899 when the company hired its first female employee. The study shows how IBM links its culture to growing and supporting an inclusive work environment to create a culture where women in technology can thrive and succeed.

"IBM has relentlessly focused on building and fostering an inclusive career environment," said Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer, IBM. "We remain committed to creating a supportive career environment that offers IBMers the resources to progress in their careers and fulfill the company's purpose."

The study outlines IBM's approaches to helping women advance including:

- Identify talent early: Through IBM's Executive Potential & Extraordinary Leadership Identification program, managers identify IBMers who display extraordinary leadership and initiate a development journey with them.

- Focus on technical women: IBM's Technical Women's Pipeline program aligns women with an executive coach and sponsor, offers face-to-face workshops and learning labs, and creates a development roadmap to track progress and readiness for the next milestone in their career path.

- Lift up women around the world: The company's Elevate program develops leadership skills through education, experience and exposure.

For more than 100 years, IBM has engaged with communities where it does business, including creating the social infrastructure to give women and other under-represented groups access to education and resources to reach their potential. Most recently, IBM is partnering with Girls Who Code to close the gender gap in technology, recruiting girls in grades 6-12 for after-school clubs and summer programs to learn coding and learn about career opportunities in technology. IBM's Tech Re-Entry program, together with the Society of Women Engineers and iRelaunch, are making it easier for women to who have been out of the workforce to rejoin the tech industry.

For more information on Women@IBM go here

Contact:

Laurie Friedman
IBM Media Relations
[email protected]
914-499-4608

SOURCE IBM