In Defense of Women in Tech

In Defense of Women In Tech

Isa Gautschi
Authored byIsabel Gautschi

There have been attempts to justify the stark gender disparity in tech. But none of them are valid.

Cascade Insights was recently asked to present our findings on the gender gap in tech. More than 1 million LinkedIn profiles of employees of 50 major tech companies revealed how far the industry is from achieving gender parity.

Our talk focused on our research into the gender breakdowns of tech giants, so we weren’t able to go into much detail about why there is a gender gap in tech. We would like to clear up some common misconceptions with this reading list.

There is nothing in women’s nature, collective ambitions, or capabilities that make them less qualified than men in STEM fields. While there are mountains of evidence to back up this unequivocal statement, we’ve included a small sampling here.

(We also presented our findings on ageism in tech. Check out our defense of age diversity in tech here.) 

No, women are not genetically predisposed to lag in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Prevalent stereotypes affect the evaluation of women’s STEM abilities.

Even in early education, implicit bias creates obstacles for girls in STEM.

And it keeps going. Science faculty judge women more harshly than men in higher education.

Implicit bias impedes women’s career advancement. Few women reach the C-Suite in corporate America.

Women are far less likely than men to hold leadership positions in tech companies. Thus, men are far more likely to control hiring, firing, raises, and promotions in the technology industry.

Not to mention the tech industry’s endemic sexual harassment which has prompted many women to leave.

So, bottom line…

The gender gap in tech cannot be written off as women being less capable or lacking the desire to have successful careers in STEM fields. There is no valid justification for the immense gender gap in tech.

Further, research shows that diversity actually benefits business. More diversity, more profits.

How can we do better on gender diversity in tech? Here are some ideas.

This blog post is brought to you by Cascade Insights. With B2B focused market research and marketing services, Cascade Insights helps companies seize opportunities in the B2B technology sector.

 

 

 

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