Action Alert | Discrimination in Tech - Where are the Women?
On June 20, DIGITALEUROPE hosted their annual Summer Summit. This Summit discussed challenges to the digital single market and searches for solutions. Some major issues that were addressed include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, product safety, energy efficiency, data privacy, and taxation, amongst other discussion points.
In an age of technological advancement, these discussions are important to have. However, these discussions need to include not only women, but women of color. This conference had 11 men and 6 women, but only one woman of color. This lack of representation means that the digital sector loses out on potential new perspectives and is more likely to be inequitable.
Women are consistently underrepresented in technology – with 24% of computing jobs held by women, the graduation rate of female STEM graduates about 19%, and most notably – women leaving the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than men do. On top of that, only 25% of conference keynotes in technology were delivered by women in the past three years.
Why does diversity in technology matter?
Underrepresentation has a detrimental impact on technology companies. Not only are the perspectives of women and women of color lost, but there are financial consequences as well. Unfairness-based turnover costs tech companies $16 billion per year, which is important to consider when having discussions about innovation and efficiency.
Light the Flame with Inspiring Reads
Take a look at the following readings for an idea of the discrimination that women in technology face as well as what we can do to combat this. Hopefully this week’s reads empower you to take action and ensure that more women are represented in the field.
Read up on some of the latest statistics about women in tech! While women make up 46.9% of the workforce, these numbers are not reflected in STEM fields. This manifests in issues such as a lack of employment and leadership opportunities, and lower wages.
Here is some more information on the challenges women in tech must face. Diversity in technology is key to creating better products that have more communities in mind. Issues surrounding employment, degree, retention, work culture, representation, the pandemic, founders, pay, and IT leadership gaps make it difficult to accomplish these goals.
Here’s what we can do to bridge the gender divide within the tech industry! This includes things such as fostering women's entrepreneurship and engagement in innovation, and facilitating labor market participation and on-the-job learning.
This post was written by GenderAvenger Harvard IOP Summer Intern Eden Getahun. Learn more about Eden and her passion for gender equality and healthcare here.
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📣🚨 Women in technology matter - @DIGITALEUROPE, it’s time to do better! #GenderAvenger #DESummerSummit