The pandemic has ravaged industries, causing unemployment numbers to reach record highs. While everyone has experienced the challenges brought on by Covid-19, women and people of color have been hit harder both economically and socially. A year later, 2.4 million women left the workforce with little prospect of returning.

Women made up less than 25% of the tech workforce, and women of color just 18%, prior to the pandemic. Considering the low numbers of women working in the tech industry, the loss of women in the workforce along with the "Great Resignation" is concerning.

Equality has barely moved in decades. In the 25 years since we've recognized Equal Pay Day, the wage gap has only narrowed by $0.08. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of women in C-suite executive roles increased from 17 percent to 21 percent. These numbers reflect the reality that women face today, especially diverse women — a reality that corporate America is still failing to live up to its pledges of support and promises to “do better.”

Isn’t giving more women a seat at the table supposed to help gender inequality?

There has been a public reckoning of sorts for numerous female-run companies, especially in the tech industry. Women CEO’s that had previously been hailed as the embodiment of modern-day feminism have been accused of an abuse of power, and of being the antithesis of what is expected of female leaders. Many were forced to resign; some from the companies they co-founded. Where did progress go wrong? Isn’t giving more women a seat at the table supposed to help gender inequality? There is a discrepancy happening: the same spotlight that highlighted female leadership intensified the descent of many female CEOs in the past few years.

Last Thursday and Friday, Startups Galaxy had the privilege to attend the first virtual conference, third in general, for Women of MENA in Technology. However, the exciting thing is, that they were able to bring the whole global community together through one platform; Hopin (the online venue for virtual events).

Women of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) in Technology is a global nonprofit organization that aims to advocate equity, inclusion, and diverse representation for women in STEM. The Women of MENA in Technology Conference 2020 was held online this year, and it was nothing short of inspiring.

In the modern age, the ability for businesses to adapt to new technologies is a critical indication of growth, as well as a prerequisite for success. Extensive online marketplaces, virtual access to customer services, sophisticated data collection and analysis, and forward leaps in surgical technologies and medicine are obvious positive changes that new technology …