Vivaldi Salutes Molly E. Holzschlag
At Vivaldi, we thought Women's Day 2016 would be a perfect opportunity to honor someone who, for decades, has been a passionate and devoted advocate for the open Web. Equally, she is a widely-published author who's shared her knowledge tirelessly to help others. Presently, she is working at the W3C as a Communications Strategist. For these reasons, we want to shine a light on Molly E. Holzschlag and her decades of work to make the Web more open and accessible for all.
On Women's Day, we sat down with Molly to ask her a few questions related to her work and her place as a woman helping to shape the future of the web.
"Trying to teach anyone that they can value themselves and have faith in their abilities gets me out of bed every day and if I can help people realize that early on, then I have succeeded."
Vivaldi: You're famous (perhaps narrowly famous as you admit) for your advocacy work on behalf of the open and inclusive web. What drives you each day to get up and push for change?
Molly E. Holzschlag: I had my first run-in with expectations and gender roles when I was in school. I was in 4th grade, math class, right when computations switch from simple arithmetic to more advanced concepts. I was struggling to get it right, and was crying about it. But my teacher wanted to help. She told me that "Girls don't need to know this."
At the time, I didn't know any better, so I accepted this as wisdom. I also heard this from my mother who, although an enlightened woman and professor with a PhD, was convinced that higher level math and science were not her strengths, and therefore also not mine. So I grew up convinced that science and math were beyond my grasp and I proceeded to fail most of those classes.
But the problem is that, in my core, I loved science and math. I got a degree in technical communication that seemed like a good avenue.
For the holidays one year, my brother gave me a Commodore 64 and another friend gave me a 300-baud modem. I went online and immediately knew this was something I had to be involved in. Suddenly I was a technologist, I was gaining strength through my ability to communicate. Then, when the Web came along, it blew opportunities wide open.
I was so happy to be part of that world, I didn’t pay attention to gender politics that dominated. But to this day, I see that moment of empowerment as the first step to resolving some of these issues, and I think I, along with women of all ages and backgrounds, are making progress in our understanding of the issues.
Trying to teach anyone that they can value themselves and have faith in their abilities gets me out of bed every day and if I can help people realize that early on, then I have succeeded.
"I found out this person, a man, was paid more than 10,000 times – that's not a typo – what I was paid at the time."
Vivaldi: Gender equality has been a hot topic of discussion in recent months. What are your thoughts on the state of gender equality in the tech industry?
Molly E. Holzschlag: Human beings come into the world with capabilities that don’t have a gender bias. If you go back to my earlier story, the first people who made assumptions because of my gender were women. We have been systematically taught to be naysayers of our own ability. Because of this, gender equality will be a tough issue to solve.
I was at a conference early in my career and someone mentioned how much they paid for a very well-known keynote speaker. I found out this person, a man, was paid more than 10,000 times – that's not a typo – what I was paid at the time.
We're in a period of great global change, and gender is but one of many issues up for re-examination. I like that so many men in tech, science and math, which had contributed to the message that women were not strong enough in those domains, are finally understanding that we need new approaches if we're going to address the issue of parity.
Vivaldi: Have you felt there are times where being a woman is a disadvantage in the tech community? Are there times when it has been an advantage?
Molly E. Holzschlag: Well, the disadvantages have been clear. Had it not been for a series of positive events, I would not have even been in the industry.
By the same token – I'll come right out and say it – I've used my gender to my advantage. You can call it feminine wiles or social engineering, but I've used it to open doors or to extract myself from different situations. I did it primarily because I felt I was righting a wrong and trying to mitigate unfair factors.
But I don't do that anymore. I want to do things on a level playing field and find ways of working together to overcome the stumbling blocks we encounter.
"Define yourself, revise yourself, strive against those old and unhelpful messages that you are not worthy or are not valuable. And work on that every single day of your life."
Vivaldi: What advice would you give to a young woman starting out in the technology industry today?
Molly E. Holzschlag: Be as honest with yourself as you can, and always work towards that clarity. So the awareness of your skills and what you bring to the table is what drives you, rather than a desire to win, dominate or otherwise conquer a situation. We need to get past that in our minds.
Constantly build your own confidence, constantly challenge yourself and be aware of who’s around you and their personal agendas. Be perceptive. And be responsive.
Finally, and I mean this for men too, it’s not just women. Look at yourself in the mirror every day and ask: what are my ethics? What value can I bring forth into this world that in turn nourishes me as well as others? How can I mitigate self-interest with gratitude and generosity toward others? Define yourself, revise yourself, strive against those old and unhelpful messages that you are not worthy or are not valuable. And work on that every single day of your life.
Vivaldi: Thank you Molly for your time and sharing your wise thoughts and experiences. We wish you the very best.