Alarming inequities and discrimination still exist for women and non-binary employees in the tech industry, according to a new report from AnitaB.org.
The global non-profit focused on intersectional gender and pay parity in tech is therefore calling for sweeping systemic changes. Its 2021 Technical Equity Experience Survey (TechEES) global report, which shares women and non-binary technologist’s experiences in the technology ecosystem, found that more than 90% of women and non-binary technologists report experiencing some form of discrimination. The central finding of the 2021 TechEES report is that, since 2019 and 2020, tech experiences have worsened for all marginalised genders; and are increasingly worse when the data are disaggregated by intersectional identities.
The report found that gender harassment has increased by 23.2% since 2019 for women and non-binary technologists. Racial/ethnic harassment has also increased by 30.3% since 2019 for women and non-binary technologists of colour. Additionally, students in tech are experiencing sexual harassment at higher rates than technologists in the workplace at 57% compared to 33%.
TECH’S DIVERSITY PROBLEM
The research found that only 55.1% of women and non-binary technologists feel like they are being paid fairly for the work they do. Just 63.5% of all women and non-binary technologists report a sense of belonging at work. Additionally, only 63.2% of women and non-binary technologists see themselves working at their current place of work a year from now.
“It’s painfully apparent from the report that the technology sector has a diversity, equity and inclusion problem. Many of the most effective people moving the needle towards diversity in tech are not technologists; and that needs to change,” commented Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org. “Some of the best evangelists I know are sociologists and educators with a vision of positively impacting people. We need to tap into leaders within and outside of the industry to focus on equitable solutions, not two or three years in the future; the stage is set and the time is now.”
Adding to her comments, AnitaB.org’s Chief Operating Officer Lucia Hicks-Williams, stated: “At AnitaB.org, we believe that we must measure the comprehensive impacts of what women and non-binary technologists experience to be able to bend the arc of a diverse technology ecosystem towards inclusion. We challenge ourselves and our peer technologists and leaders to be bold in our actions, empowered by data-centric, experiential yardsticks like this report.”
Click here to check out the report.
RESEARCH ON INEQUITIES IN TECH
Here’s more recent research that highlights the inequities that persist in tech:
- While the wage gap is narrowing, unequal pay and discrimination persist for underrepresented talent in tech, according to Hired.
- The tech industry still has a long way to go to fix inequality and discrimination to attract more diversity, according to a report carried out by tech career hub Dice.
- Women Who Tech’s latest report has revealed that nearly 50% of female founders and women working in tech and Silicon Valley have experienced harassment.
- Around 94% of women in tech believe they are held to a ‘higher standard’ than their male colleagues, confirmed a new study from Naviste.
- Higher churn rates for Black professionals in tech have higher churn rates, according to a new study.
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