Why does it matter whether women "do" IT?
When the engineering team that created the original speech-recognition system – the genesis for our current-day voicemail – first tested its system with a woman, the system hung up on her. Why? Because there were no women on the engineering team, and the system wasn't designed to recognize female voice octaves.

Technology is a hugely pervasive force in all our lives, and it is only increasing in influence – changing the way we work, play, communicate, propagate, travel, and keep ourselves safe. The range of perspectives and skills that influence the design of our technology should be as broad and diverse as the people who are influenced by it. Populations traditionally underrepresented in IT – minorities, the disabled, and women – bring unique needs, backgrounds, and ideas to the table, and offer the potential for technology that is more creative, useful, and competitive with a global market.

What programs does NCWIT run?
NCWIT is a capacity-building organization, which means we help other organizations that already are doing great work to get more out of the work they're doing. We support organizations with programs in K-12 outreach, university recruitment and retention, and the workforce.

How can I join NCWIT? Do you have local chapters? Can I volunteer with NCWIT?
As a consortium of academic institutions, non-profits, and corporations working to increase women's participation in IT, our Alliance members are our volunteers. We exist to expand and leverage their work.

If you're an organization that's interested in joining our Academic Alliance, Entrepreneurial Alliance, K-12 Alliance, or Workforce Alliance, please visit our Alliance pages.

NCWIT does not have an individual membership structure, not do we have local chapters or offices. If you're an individual who appreciates NCWIT's mission and you're interested in knowing what you can do to increase women's participation in IT, check out these suggestions for getting involved:

• Join MentorNet, an online mentoring organization.
• Contact your local Girl Scouts of the USA chapter.
• Join a local women-in-IT professional group, such as WITI.
• If you’re an IT professional, use our Outreach-in-a-Box to give a classroom presentation about IT.

Also check out our Partner Resources for more ideas.