There's a social issue I've been following for a year or two. It's a recurring conversation related to conferences at one level, but begs a whole larger set of questions about women in technology and the real or perceived glass ceiling in the tech sector.

At issue right now is the Office 2.0 conference and the fact that of the 53 speakers, only one is a woman. Among the people I read regularly, Shelley Powers,  Tara Hunt and The Head Lemur have written on the subject lately.

I sometimes have mixed emotions because after so long talking about it, it seems so little has changed and that people recycle the same ideas and viewpoints over and over.

I'd like to take a slightly different approach, so I'm extending this request via both places I actively blog.

I'll be attending the Internet Telephony Conference and Expo in San Diego next month. I'll be moderating two panel discussions, both comprised solely of men. I've never spoken about this topic with Rich Tehrani, and I know he'll be quite busy at this conference, but he's a friend and colleague who will make a few minutes available if I can find him in the sea of people. I'd like to hear his thoughts on the portion of the sector he's involved with. At a glance, I noted more than ten women speaking at the conference, but I've made no effort to determine percentage because it seems irrelevant.

My invitation is to the women in VoIP, both speakers and attendees. I'd like to talk with you to get your viewpoint on women in technology, and particularly the representation of women at technical conferences like the ITExpo.  My hope is that either reading and responding here, or in approaching you at the Expo, some of you will speak with me and I might be able to assemble either a podcast or post touching on the involvement of women in VoIP and related technologies.

Are you well-represented? Is representation proportional to the numbers working in the sector? Do you feel there's a barrier to entry either in the tech sector or in conference speakers that should be addressed? I'm really interested to hear what you think.

Drop me a note in email, call me, Skype me, or look for me at the conference. I would love to share your insights with others.


Technorati Tags: Women in VoIP, Women in technology