From Website Planet

I was the only woman in a cube farm of more than 40 computer programmers – not just once, but at two separate companies. And now, as a freelance writer working for large tech hubs, the experts I regularly interview are almost always men.When I saw the headlines starting a few years ago saying that we needed more women in tech, I just blew it off. I heard myself saying things like, “That’s just how it is.” Yes, I am embarrassed to admit this. I had assumed for all of my 25 years of industry experience that I simply had to be comfortable (and accept) being the only woman in the room or on the conference call.But I was wrong. Very wrong. One day, it hit me – how all the big and little things I’d experienced, seen firsthand, or that had been shared with me in confidence were related to this gender gap.I realized that my attitude of acceptance – which is true for many people in tech – is part of the problem. And that is unacceptable, especially when we are in a position to make a difference.

Gender Disparity in Tech Should Matter to Everyone in the Universe

The fact is that less than one in five employees in the tech industry are women, despite the fact that women make up more than half of the U.S. workforce.

This statistic hurts the economy, companies, women and their families, and every person who uses technology – so pretty much everyone in the universe. But there are many people who are directly in a position to make a significant impact on this reality.If you are in the tech industry or considering going into the tech industry, this article is written just for you. Every person in the tech industry – not just those in leadership or hiring roles – shares the responsibility and challenge of solving the gender divide in tech. Your words, your actions, and your inactions can make a difference, both positively and negatively.After holding many different roles in the tech industry (technical writer, project manager, UX designer, content marketing writer), I’ve seen firsthand the impact that the underrepresentation of women has both on the industry and the tech products companies produce. Most importantly, I’ve seen amazingly talented women either leave the tech industry or never go into it because it’s a male-dominated field.There are tons (and tons and tons) of articles and whitepapers and everything else in between being written about getting more women into the tech industry. But this article is different. Most pieces either focus on only one part of the problem, or they simply provide a general overview of the issue.But the issue is ginormous! And complex. Writing this article isn’t just a work assignment to me. It’s personal. It’s my career. And it encompasses the majority of my working hours.Here, we’re going to tackle (almost) everything that goes into the issue of the lack of women in tech: the reasons, the impact, and – most importantly – the solutions. When you finish reading you’ll be armed with real actions that you can take to help solve this regrettable situation – no matter your role.

Current State of Women in Technology

While researching this article, I was shocked to discover that the percentage of women in tech was actually higher in the 1980s than it is today. And, according to tech leader Judith Spitz, technology is the only STEM career in which the number of women has decreased in the last 20 years. Yes, the number of women has improved very recently. But it’s not enough.It’s not totally the tech companies’ fault that women are underrepresented in technology. Yes, they absolutely hold a fair amount – if not most – of the responsibility. But women must be encouraged by the educational system and welcomed into computer science degree programs to land jobs in tech, and that isn’t currently happening. (We’ll delve into all of this more later.)But even with all the recent publicity and articles and videos and posters, women have only 23% of the tech jobs at Apple and make up only 32% of the company’s workforce. Google has similar stats, with 21% of its tech jobs held by women and 31% of the total workforce. Microsoft is in the same ballpark, with women holding 20% of tech jobs and 27% of the total workforce.

I read a ton of statistics while researching this article. But I think the following paint a very clear picture of where we are today:

• 33% of today’s women in technology have considered switching careers because of the men who are in the industry.
• Women leave the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than men.
• Half of the tech startups have no women on their leadership teams.

Impact of Gender Disparity in Tech

We’ve made progress because people are talking about this issue. And because companies are taking action. But the problem becomes even larger and more complex as technology continues to become a more significant part of our daily lives.The gender disparity in tech is an issue for many more reasons than simple inequality. Here are the biggest reasons why you should care about the gender gap:

• Technology is used by women. Technology touches all aspects of our lives, and everyone uses technology. To create the most effective and user-friendly technology we need diversity in thought, perspective, and skills. Women and men often bring different strengths to the table, which means that if women are not represented, neither are their strengths or insights.
• Women are more effective leaders than men. Yes, I have data to back this up. Strengths-based leadership firm Zenger Folkman found that women had a leadership-effective score in technology of 52.1%, compared to 42.0% for men. Interestingly, among the various industries studied, the difference in leadership scores between men and women was the largest in the tech industry.
• Technology offers high-paying professional positions. As more and more jobs involve technology, women who are not interested or qualified in the field reduce their prospects of high-paying positions.
• Self-limiting proposition. The fact that there are fewer women in tech makes many women shy away from the industry, not wanting to be “the only one.” It also means that an unconscious bias may cause a man to hire men, which makes the gap even bigger.
• Higher business results for companies with gender diversity. A McKinsey study found that companies were 21% more likely to have above-average profits if they were in the top quartile in terms of gender diversity among their executives.

Helping Women to Rise in Tech

For this to happen, it takes a lot of small, incremental changes by many different people and organizations. Here are six key changes that need to happen if we are going to see an increase in the percentage of women in technology.

Key # 1: Graduate More Women With Computer Science Degrees and Certifications 

I saw an initial disparity firsthand, when my own kids were in school. My son was encouraged by his homeroom teacher to take engineering and computer courses as electives. At the same time, my daughter was not only steered toward art and music, but actively discouraged from the high-level math classes.If we are going to solve – or at least improve – the gender disparity issue in technology, we must start by addressing the issues in the educational system.

Fewer Women Earn Computer Science Degrees than Men

Former astronaut Dr. Sally Ride said in a New York Times article that girls ages ten to 12 are most susceptible to being pushed off track from STEM fields.My experience mirrors the UNESCO report Cracking the Code: Girls and Women’s Education in STEM, which came to the same conclusion as Dr. Ride, saying girls lose interest in STEM subjects between early and late adolescence – which points to fewer girls taking advanced math and science in upper secondary classrooms.

“Girls are often brought up to believe that STEM subjects are ‘masculine’ topics and that female ability in STEM is innately inferior to that of males. While research on biological factors belies any factual basis for such beliefs, they persist and undermine girls’ confidence, interest, and willingness to engage in STEM subjects.”

But I do believe this myth is a big part of the reason women don’t choose computer science as a major. Males are much more likely to take AP Computer Science in high school, which earns college credit, than females – 81% compared to 19%. College stats are about the same, where only 17.9% of college students earning computer science degrees are women.Even more concerning is that the number of women going into computer science is actually declining – even with many companies, organizations, and schools putting specific emphasis on increasing the number of women earning computer science degrees. In 1994, 28% of computer science graduates were women – but in 2016, that number had dropped to less than 19%.

Harvey Mudd College Quadruples Number of Women Computer Science Majors 

On some college campuses, there are exceptions to this trend. Many schools that are specifically focusing on recruiting more women into computer science programs are seeing results. In the past decade, Harvey Mudd College in Southern California has increased women’s computer science majors from 10% to 55%. But it wasn’t just marketing or other tactics that were responsible for the increase.

The school started by identifying three reasons female students didn’t major in computer science:

• Not thinking they were good at programming
• Assuming they wouldn’t fit into the culture
• Not finding the subject interesting

And the school set out to actively overcome those obstacles. The first change was to make an intro to computer science class a graduation requirement. The school now offers two different intro courses: one for students with experience and the other for newbies. The school found that this reduces the intimidation factor and increases the confidence of women who never considered computer science as an option for them.Harvey Mudd College fundamentally changed how they teach computer science, to make it interesting and relevant to both genders. The courses are based on puzzles, graphics, and issues that college students of both genders care about, such as DNA and evolution.And it worked. Tons of women enjoy the courses and are actively changing their major to computer science. By advocating for other colleges – especially those with top computer science programs – to make similar changes, the national statistics can likely soon mirror Harvey Mudd’s.

Understanding the Complicated Reasons for Lack of Women 

The educational system, as a whole, needs to take a similar approach as Harvey Mudd, with a focus on younger female students. We as a society need to understand exactly why girls and women aren’t going into computer science courses. And then, of course, take actionable steps to fix the issues – at the age and stage where we can encourage women to make different choices about their career path.Is it a level of interest? Maybe perceived ability? Or perhaps conscious and unconscious peer pressure? Do women not want to be one of only a few in the class? Does the lack of female computer science professors and teachers play a role? Maybe society and family members discourage women from going into computer science?My extensive research and personal experience say it’s all of the above. I think Harvey Mudd’s findings are largely on target, but to address the overall problem, we need to change society’s unconscious bias as well. After reading lots of articles, reports and people’s opinions on these topics, I think that the UNESCO report says it best:

“Girls’ disadvantage in STEM is a result of multiple and overlapping factors embedded in both the socialization and learning processes. These include social, cultural and gender norms, which influence the way girls and boys are brought up, learn and interact with parents, family, friends, teachers, and the wider community. These influences are a powerful force in shaping their identity, beliefs, behavior, and choices.”

These findings back up my own experience. Even more than two decades later, I vividly remember the perplexed look in my college friends’ eyes when I told them I was taking a computer science class as an elective. And I have to admit, it was a bit disconcerting to walk into a huge auditorium on the first day and have to actively search for the few other women in the class.And yes, the professor was a male. Experts often point to the low number of role models at the classroom level as a factor in tech’s gender equality issue. Harvard is considered to have a high number of computer science professors at 25%. And even North Carolina State University, which was honored as having the highest percentage of female computer science professors, currently only has 20 female faculty members – out of about 70.

Constantly Proving Your Worth 

In case you’re wondering, I never took another computer class after that intro class. I decided not to become a programmer after that experience, but instead pursue technical writing in the technology industry.And yes, I’m sure that the equal number of men and women in my tech writing classes unconsciously played a pretty big role in my decision. Sure, I ultimately went into technology, but many programming and technical positions pay higher than tech writing.Was it because I was in all-male groups for projects in my computer science class? Or the fact that the course seemed to be taught for guys – with sports examples and projects that were more male-interest oriented? Did being the only woman in the computer science lab on many nights make me uncomfortable?Maybe. ButI think the biggest reason was that, during those three months, I felt that I constantly had to prove my worth – when talking to the professor, asking computer lab assistants questions, or working on group projects. And no, I don’t think it was my imagination or me just being sensitive.People assumed I was less competent in the subject matter until I proved otherwise; while my male counterparts were assumed competent until they proved otherwise. And unfortunately, after 25 years in the tech industry, I still encounter this very same hurdle almost every single day.

Getting More Women in Tech Classrooms

We have to address existing issues in the actual tech field in order to increase the number of women in tech. But honestly, those changes don’t matter if we can’t create a pipeline of educated women who are interested in pursuing a career in technology.Organizations that focus on encouraging girls in technology at a young age are a great start. And by making these groups girls only, the girls feel comfortable and the activities can be specifically designed for girls’ interests.

I have been especially impressed with the work of these three organizations:

• Girls Who Code. This global program offers free summer programs and afterschool clubs to teach girls to code.
• Black Girls Code. With chapters across the country, this organization focuses on teaching computing programming to girls of color ages seven to 17.
• Rails Girls. Girls located in areas without a local chapter of the above groups can head to this online community, which includes an open-source guide to organizing events.

How to Make a Difference

Elementary and middle schools need to play a big role in this shift. By high school and college, many girls have already formed their opinions of both the tech field and their own ability.Here are five things schools can do to help encourage girls to build an interest in entering the tech industry:

1. Make technology a required course in middle school.
2. Add computer programming instruction in elementary school.
3. Make sure Career Days and parent speakers include women in tech.
4. Educate teachers on unconscious bias against girls in regards to math and technology.
5. Offer a technology/computer club for girls.

But efforts need to expand beyond the classroom. A single comment by an adult, even a neighbor or family member, can encourage (or discourage) a girl from going into a STEM field. Every person who interacts with girls should make an effort to do the following:

• Actively encourage any interest in technology.
• Share about female friends and family in the tech field.
• If you work in the tech field, offer to give a tour or bring young girls to an event at your work.
• Mention technology when asking what they want to be when they grow up.
• When talking about school, ask if they are taking computer or technology courses.

I know that some of these seem like simple answers to what is truly a complex problem. But problems, like the gender disparity in tech become complex due to small actions that are performed every day by people all around the globe. If each person evaluates their reactions and biases to girls and women showing an interest in technology – and then makes small changes – over time, the societal bias will change and college computer science classrooms will be filled with both women and men.

Key # 2: Ensure Women Earn Promotions at Comparable Rates as Men

If we are going to eliminate the gender disparity issue in tech, a key factor in retaining women and reducing the disproportionate female attrition rate. According to the National Council for Women in Technology, women quit their jobs in high tech at more than twice the rate (41%) of men (17%). And fixing this attrition rate starts by looking at promotions.I never had a woman manager in a technical role. Yes, I had female managers as a technical writer. But never when I was a part of a group that included programmers and UX designers.

An Indeed study found that only about half (53%) of women felt they had the same advancement opportunities as men. That means that the other half felt discriminated against due to their gender when it came to promotions. Not surprisingly, the study also found that 28% of women quit their tech jobs because of the perceived lack of career growth.In technology, there are typically two career tracks – one for people who want to stay hands-on in programming and tech skills (junior programmer/senior programmer/systems engineer), and another for those who want to move into management and leadership positions (manager/senior manager/CIO).Because each track is evaluated differently and requires different skills for promotion, I’m going to look at each of them separately.

Women Are Stuck as Junior Programmers Longer than Men

Honestly, I was most concerned by a HackerRank survey that found women over 35 are 3.5 times more likely than men to be in a junior programmer position at the same age. And between the ages of 24 and 35, 74% of men had been promoted to senior developer – compared to only 54% of women.To me, the promotion numbers to senior developers are more concerning than the leadership numbers. In my experience, many programmers do not want to move into leadership positions, which require the management of people and office politics.Instead, they want the ability to tackle more difficult and high-profile programming projects – and make more money while they’re at it. This makes the promotion track through the technical positions exceptionally important for career growth and salary.

Women CIOs Are Becoming More Common

I found a bright spot in terms of women in tech while combing through statistics: Deloitte’s report “Smashing IT’s Glass Ceiling: Perspectives from Leading Women CIOs.” There are more women CIOs in the Fortune 500 than women CFOs and CEOs combined. While 19% of women CIOs sounded low when I first read the number, compared to the overall percentage of women in tech (around 20%), this stat is a positive sign. Especially when you consider that women only make up 12% of CFOs and 5% of CEOs.Other reports have a slightly different perspective. The Indeed study found a decline of women in senior leadership positions. And Equilar found that tech boards have only 14.3% women, which is low in general, but it’s even lower than the average of all Russell 3000 companies, which is 16.2% women.There are many leadership positions at the middle management level that offer good salary opportunities for women, but the stats on management promotion are concerning. While not specific to technology (but technology companies were included), the Leanin.org study found that men hold 62% of managerial positions, while women hold only 38%.

How Getting a Job Because I Am a Woman Hurt My Confidence 

My own experience with promotions in technology is rather different than the stats I found, but was still as damning to my morale. At age 24, I was called into the senior manager’s office. His department was my internal client, meaning that I technically reported to another manager but my job was to handle his department’s tech writing needs.He told me that he was about to get into trouble because he had no women in his department, and he wanted to hire me for whatever job I wanted. Here’s the kicker – he said the reason was that I was the only woman his guys were willing to work with.At the time, I was thrilled – I got a raise, a new computer, a great job as a project manager, and I negotiated expensive training for a project manager certification. But over the years, it’s really sunk in that I got the job simply because I was a woman. He never once mentioned my skills or work. And whether true or not, the message I took away was that my work was substandard to men’s, and my gender was my main redeeming quality.And now that I have the wisdom of middle age, I have to wonder, did the men in the department knew I only got the position because I was a woman? Did that impact how they viewed me? It’s highly likely. And was the cold shoulder from a male in the department with more experience than me who wanted the job I landed justified? Probably.Women need to get jobs based on their performance, skills, and experience. They shouldn’t get jobs – or not get jobs – simply because of their gender. It’s not fair to the men. It’s not fair to the women. It’s not fair to the teams. And it’s not fair to the company.

How to Make a Difference 

The solutions to this problem aren’t new and earth-shattering ideas. Really, it’s making sure that basic best practices are in place and followed. It comes down to transparency, training, and communication throughout the process.However, it’s important to note that what is good for women in terms of promotions is actually good for everybody. Many of our suggestions should be implemented across the board.Here are key ways to change the tech sector promotion process:

• Be clear about career paths. This information should be transparent and made available to all employees. It should include the specific skills/experiences that are required to move up the ladder.
• Help individuals achieve their goals. Create a personalized career path for each employee based on their own strengths and goals. Have employees update the path with their manager on a regular basis.
• Develop a mentoring program for women in the tech industry. This should include training for the mentors to help guide their mentees through meeting their career goals.
• Offer leadership training to high-performing employees to help meet skills gaps. Instead of requiring nominations or women to sign up, have managers specifically ask all employees individually about their interest in participating. Many women wait to be asked for leadership training opportunities. You should also hold managers accountable for training and promotion rates based on gender.

Key #3: Revamping the Recruiting & Hiring Process to Attract and Hire Women 

Having to do a presentation with 15-minute preparation time as part of an interview is incredibly nerve-wracking. Add to that being the only woman in the room (and interviewing for the job), presenting in front of eight men who will decide whether you get said job. The sweaty-palms quotient just jumps even higher.Not to mention, the manager forgot to tell me that the dress code was shorts and t-shirts, so I was massively overdressed in my navy blue skirt suit. Yes, this is a true story.Second only to the education issues, the recruiting process likely contributes to (or at least doesn’t help) the underrepresentation of women in tech. Even having worked as the only woman with 40 men once before, the situation almost made me walk out, especially at the inexperienced age of 25. I stuck with it and landed the job. But I know many women who would have turned it down after the interview.

Benefits Are a Top Consideration for Women in Tech When Job Hunting

When I started to look for a new job at age 27, I knew that I was hoping to become a mom in the next few years. So flexibility and maternity benefits were at the top of my list, even more important than salary. And I ultimately ended up taking a job mainly because the company offered 12 weeks paid maternity leave (which was high at the time) and unpaid leave of absence for up to three years.Let’s take a look at the top considerations for women and men when job hunting:

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