Project F is a social impact, for-profit business. Our charter aligns with Goal #5 (Gender Equality) of the 17 Sustainable Development targets defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out by the UN, and 2 main pillars of the Australian Government Women in STEM Decadal Plan – Supporting women in STEM careers & Making women in STEM visible.

Project F has a clear charter to tackle the egregiously low representation of women in technology. Each of the other underrepresented groups requires a unique approach to solve these issues and this isn’t what we specialise in. 

We have deep knowledge and years of experience that are specific to the subculture of technology. Also, while focused on women in technology, the outcomes of our program result in a positive impact on all forms of diversity.

Technology is increasingly powering the world we live in and our future lives, and women should be a part of it, in terms of designing, building and leading (but currently are not). It is predicted that 70% of jobs by 2050 will be STEM-related. If we do not act now, gender equality and our economy will experience a dramatic setback.

Balanced teams are proven to be more creative, better at problem-solving and faster to innovate. These are all critical elements of creating great technology products and services. Diverse perspectives are also critical in representing the diversity in the world the technology is built to serve.

It’s well documented that girls are not readily being nurtured into STEM careers in many countries and cultures. This has resulted from a cultural history that dates back to the mid-1960s, when the first computers were built by IBM, before this, all computing was done by women. 

IBM commissioned two psychologists to define a social profile of what a computer programmer should be and the two men came up with the profile of a socially inept man who liked puzzles and math but not people. That stereotype has pervaded the sector ever since and the world still generally caters for the male stereotypical “computer geeks” or “nerds”. You can find out more in our blog post here.

There have been a good number of women in technology’s history, including those who originally taught men how to program the first computers, through to the woman who wrote the code that put the first man safely on the moon. But today, systemic barriers for women in tech have lead to a lack of female leaders in the sector so girls don’t have the clear role models boys can look up to for inspiration (think Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs etc). A lack of representation, opportunities for promotion and inclusive culture drive more than 50% of women to leave the tech sector mid-career.

We address all these specifics aspects and systemic barriers within our accreditation process and work with you to get rid of them, one step at a time.

Project F is a social enterprise that helps organisations take a systemic, evidence-informed approach to improving gender equity and inclusion – particularly in the tech sector. We work with businesses of all sizes to shift culture, remove structural barriers, and create measurable, sustainable change.

Examples of our work include:

• Auditing systems and processes to identify hidden barriers and inform your DEI strategy

• Designing practical tools and resources to support inclusive hiring (like structured interview kits and bias disruptors)

• Facilitating talks and workshops with leadership teams to build buy-in and capability

• Developing and writing gender equity strategies grounded in your business context and goals

Project F is also the creator and operator of the T-EDI Standards – Australia’s first and only DEI accreditation designed specifically for technology teams.