Although women are still underrepresented in the technology industry, there are many ways to encourage them to start or return to a career in tech. We have put together a list of what we believe to be the top 10 books for women in tech to help expand their knowledge and empower them to pursue a career in their desired field. If you’re are looking to be influenced, empowered and climb the career ladder, then the following books are a must-read.
- Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang
Emily Chang is an executive producer of Bloomberg Technology; a TV show focused on global technology and regularly speaks to top tech executives and investors. From her knowledge and experience from speaking to these top tech executives, she has written Brotopia to reveal how male dominated Silicon Valley has become. The book states how women are finally starting to fight back against toxic workplaces and sexual harassment, which in the tech industry happens a lot. This is seen as one of the best books that deals with gender diversity problems in an insightful manner,and is why it is in our list of top 10 books for women in tech.
Technically Wrong provides the reader with insights, biases and ethical problems posed by modern tech products. The in-depth information leaves the reader making better choices about the services they use and companies that are committing to these tech trends. The book covers a lot, from the way tech products are built with men in mind to how chatbots have been able to harass women. This is a subject that is enlightening to everyone and is something that all should be conscious of and is why it is in our list of top 10 books for women in tech.
- Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman
Ellen Ullman is a recognised publisher and computer programmer with one of the greatest technological minds. Ellen’s first novel, Close to the Machine, was a great hit and some argue one of the best technology books. Her latest release, Life in Code explores the development of artificial intelligence and how powerful computers and technology affects society. Life in Code will help you to understand the advancement of technology over the past 20 years and will help you to master the next 20.
- Female Innovators at Work: Women on Top of Tech by Danielle Newnham
Danielle is a UK based start-up founder who interviews 20 different female innovators in this book including Lynda Weinman, Martha Lane Fox, Gwynne Shotwell and more. Danielle analyses how these women climbed to the top of their career ladders. This inspiring book is very interesting to those women who are aspiring entrepreneurs in tech. It outlines the different ways women have reached the top and may offer suggestions on what to do to achieve desired outcomes.
Girl Code was written to help female entrepreneurs, professional women and anyone who wants to become a better woman. This book will teach you how to build confidence, eliminate jealousy and learn how important it is to connect and network with other people. Cara has written this self-empowerment book to make you understand that not everyone is perfect, to talk about your fears, missteps and failures. Girl Code will help you to discover the secret and happiness to both your life and career and will enable you to understand that supporting other women and thinking positively will help you achieve this.
- Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual by Jessica Bennett
Feminist Fight Club includes a lot of research and personal stories about how women and men can work well together and the differences they may come across. Jessica shares lessons she and other colleagues have learnt in the workplace whilst in a male dominated office. In Feminist Fight Club, Jessica gives you reasons as to why your male counterparts may be moving quicker in the workplace than you are. This is why we have pick this book to be in our list of top 10 books for women in tech. By the end of this fun read, it may encourage you to create your own group of supportive women.
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel
If you’ve ever felt that you’re being too mean when writing an email or wanting to tell someone in the office what you really think of a situation, then this book is a must read. In reality if you have something serious to say then there is no point beating around the bush about it. Of course, there’s particular ways in which you should address situations, but this book really questions are women too nice? Nicer than men at work? It will definitely open your eyes and make you think about whether you’re creating mistakes without realising.
- Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level by Tarah Wheeler
Women in Tech is a mixture between Tarah sharing personal stories from successful women in tech and teaching essential careers skills aimed at tech professionals. When writing this book, Tarah’s aim is to tackle the unconscious social bias that women are not a good fit for tech. From reading this book, readers will discover the best way to lay out a tech CV, how to ace a tech interview, the secret to salary negotiation, the benefits of contracting and working full time and more. For this reason, we have chosen this book to be in our list of top 10 books for women in tech.
- Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One by Jenny Blake
Pivot is a recommended book for those who are looking for a career change. It is good choice for women in tech for several reasons. The author, Jenny Blake has worked for a small start-up tech company as well as Google for over 5 years. Now that she has left the tech industry, she wants to guide women through the steps to take when trying to get into tech. By looking at ways and tools to help women move forward with their career, Pivot outlines how to make your next career move.
- Own It: The Power of Women at Work by Sallie Krawcheck
Sallie Krawcheck has experience of working in digital as she is the CEO and co-founder of the women’s online investment platform Ellevest which she created in 2013. In her book Own It, she draws upon her personal experiences as an entrepreneur and as a woman amongst men in the tech industry. This book helps women gain the power they need to help elevate their careers which is one of the reasons why they are in our top 10 books for women in tech list. Sallie wants to show women that they can play a significant role in business and how women are the resolution to their own futures.
