Google: Twice as many women attending I/O conference this year since last year

Screenshot via Google I/O microsite

With Google I/O kicking off today at 9 am PST/12 pm EST, Google VP Megan Smith tells USA Today that the number of women attending Google’s developer conference has more than doubled since last year’s conference.

She says women will make up 20 percent of the 6,000 software developers. Last year just 8 percent of Google I/O goers were women, a statistic that Smith says is typical of most tech conferences.

“Twenty percent is not 50 percent, which is where we want to be,” she said. “But the trajectory is good.”

Google is also making efforts to increase the stage presence of women on stage and leading sessions, according to Smith, with 25 percent of Google representatives being women this year compared to 16 percent a year ago.

The company recently released data showing that only 30 percent of its employees are women as it expressed it is not where it wants to be in terms of diversity as a company.