Most Women in Tech Continue to Experience Discrimination

Despite diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) promises, the majority of women in tech continue to experience discrimination at work and in educational spaces.

In fact, the latest survey from AnitaB.org, the global non-profit focused on intersectional gender and pay parity in tech, found that over 90% of all women technologists reported experiencing discrimination at school or work in 2022. In fact, women tech students experienced gender harassment at school at higher rates (86%) than women in tech fields in the workplace (82%).

The survey also showed that 80% of Black, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander (BLNP) women technologists experienced racial and/or ethnic discrimination. Additionally, around seven out of 10 (69%) of women technologists with disabilities experience disability discrimination in the field of tech. Moreover, over half (54%) of LGBTQIA+ women technologists also said they experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation. The report echoes the results of another report, which reveals worryingly rising levels of racial and gender discrimination in tech, despite extensive efforts to prioritise DEIB in the workplace.

‘LOST’ DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING PROGRESS

The report noted that tech women face unique challenges depending on their career level and intersecting identities. For example, entry-level women technologists have the lowest work-life balance (58%); mid-career women technologists have the highest levels of burnout (81%); and senior-level women technologists experience being gaslit in the workplace the most (56%).

Sadly, the results of this report, entitled 2022 Technical Equity Experience Survey (TechEES) – which focuses on the lived experiences, goals, and needs of women technologists – shows that private and public promises designed to protect, support, and serve people of colour and other marginalised groups at work and in schools, have slowly evaporated.

WANTED: FAIR & EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS

“We’ve lost the room when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace – particularly in tech – and our annual TechEES report reflects the continued failure of those in positions of power to serve employees equitably, faithfully, and consistently,” stated Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org. “The TechEES report aims to consistently provide the tech industry with measurable data on the state of intersectional gender equity, directly reflecting the experiences of those affected by inequities. The 2022 report shows us where we are and is a poignant clarion call for all those in the tech industry and beyond to act now. At AnitaB.org, our goal is to continue providing actionable steps forward that break the cycle of ‘all talk, no action’ and instead foster fair and equitable solutions that ultimately benefit all of us.”

Click here to access the full report.

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