“If a woman is involved in tech, she doesn’t have to be as good as her male counterparts – a lot of times, she has to be better” – Cy Wise, games industry veteran.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are technologies that offer exciting possibilities in various fields, from education and health care, to preparing for salary negotiations and as expressions of creativity or tools for advocacy. For example, Testimony is an interactive VR documentary that allows users to explore the stories of sexual assault survivors, offering both an advocacy and social support tool as well as helping to counter concerns that virtual spaces are being over-run with unethical projects.
It is estimated that the AR and VR industries will be worth US$150 billion by year 2020. And because the Extended Reality (XR) field is still in its infancy, it offers rare opportunities for women to make a break in the male-dominated tech industry. One of the world’s top influencers in AR and VR is tech entrepreneur Vanessa Radd. She is also the founder and president of VR/AR Women Asia, a community for female Asian AR/VR professionals – and one of the most influential groups in this region.
Across the Pacific, Asian women are also breaking barriers. Among them include Joowoon Kim, founder and CEO of Amodo Technologies, a Texas-based interactive tech and VR firm; Christine Lee, vice president at Immersv, a mobile 360 VR ad network in California; and Maureen Fan, founder and CEO of Baobab Studios, a VR animation company.
However, despite the excitement and optimism, a number of sexual harassment and sex discrimination allegations at several VR companies show that this industry (along with the wider tech industry) isn’t immune to sexism. While XR startups, which comprise AR and VR, raised US$1.9 billion last year, less than 8% of the overall venture funding deals went to female CEOs. “I do acknowledge that my gender does give me some opportunities as well as barriers that come along with the package,” Radd said in an interview.
At TWF, we are committed to challenging gender stereotypes and promoting interest for girls and women to enter the STEM and emerging technology fields. Tonight, TWF and Bloomberg are hosting an event, “Reality Check: AR, VR, and Beyond.” We will discuss numerous ways in which reality-bending technologies are changing our world and showcase women who are taking a leading role in driving this revolution. Looking forward, we will continue to explore the intersection of women and technology in future initiatives and events, and we hope to have many of you involved – in person or virtually.
Let’s work together to use technology for good and support women in this sphere.
