Yet another report shows diversity is slow in coming to tech
An annual report from AnitaB.org strikes a familiar note.
- She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Women make up about 24 percent of technical roles.
If you keep up with data surrounding diversity in the tech industry, you're forgiven for occasionally getting déjà vu.
A report out Wednesday adds another stack of stats to a pile that creates a picture of tech that's awfully familiar. Progress is slow. Women of color are underrepresented. Men in the industry often don't see a problem.
The Top Companies for Women Technologists report comes from AnitaB.org, a group that works for the advancement of women in computing, and publishes the data every year ahead of its Grace Hopper Celebration conference.
AnitaB evaluated 80 companies, both tech-focused firms as well other businesses, and found that women hold about 24 percent of various technical roles. That's roughly a 1 percent increase from last year.
When it comes to women of color, 5.5 percent are black, 4.9 percent are Hispanic, 2 percent are multicultural, 0.3 percent are Native American, and 0.2 percent are Pacific Islander. In the majority, white women come in at 45.2 percent and Asian women at 39.5 percent.
For several years, the tech industry has been tracking its progress when it comes to diversifying the work force, but the results have so far been less than impressive, even as large tech firms roll out initiatives and try to revamp their recruitment and retention practices.
In terms of women at the executive level, representation actually rose to 18.5 percent from 16.4 percent in 2017.
Meanwhile, when asked if men and women have equal opportunities, 74.8 percent of men said they did, compared with 59.5 percent of women.
Fifteen companies made the list for highest representation of women technologists. Nine of them are actually tech companies including Google, Airbnb, ThoughtWorks, XO Group, Ultimate Software, Accenture, Google, IBM and SAP. The 3 best companies for women technologists (1 per category in terms of company size) will be announced at the Grace Hopper Celebration on Sept. 26.
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