Beyond Diversity Training: The Real Challenges for Women in Tech

We, as humans, are interconnected. We all have energy running through us. We are 90% water. However, the sameness stops there. Instead of clumping people together in buckets, we should view people as fingerprints. We are all beautifully unique.

In recent years, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been in the spotlight and has taken a front seat in corporate training. But I am here to argue today that women are more than just an educational topic. Despite corporate education addressing female workers and diversity, we haven’t seen staggering results.

One underlying reason is that we aren’t all “just women.” We are 49.76% of the world’s population, but only India and China have more males than females. The remainder of the world has more women than men. Yet despite our statistical population numbers, we represent nowhere near half of the technology workforce.

The Stats Don’t Lie

Various organizations have tracked women in technology, and from entry-level jobs to the boardroom, we have had our ups and downs. But we are not where we need to be yet.

The statistics speak for themselves:

Related:Closing the Gender Pay Gap in IT: A Step Closer to Clinking Champagne Glasses

These numbers are shocking. Multiple think tanks show that more diverse companies have significantly higher bottom-line numbers. On average, companies with female leaders are 15-25% more profitable, according to McKinsey.

If Europe could double the share of women in the tech workforce to roughly 45% by 2027, its GDP could increase by as much as €600 billion ($654 billion).

So why aren’t we doing better? Why isn’t DEI training solving equal representation and diversity in technology? The US alone spends about $8 billion annually on diversity training. However, according to Zenefits, a staggering 75% of corporate diversity programs struggle to achieve measurable results. That represents about $6 billion in spending without quantifiable results. Six billion dollars could be better spent on upskilling a diverse workforce. A single certification can be a life-changing event leading to a loyal employee.

Foundational Shift

So why is DEI failing women in tech? In my mind, the biggest problem is not listening to and investing in the women in your workforce. First, all women are not the same. People fit an organization based on culture, tasks, overall company goals, and, of course, an employee’s personal goals.

Related:Beyond a Bunch of Guys: How One IT Company Boosted Women's Representation

Employees stay with an employer based on some of those same principles. About 50% of women in tech leave their positions before the age of 35 – a rate 45% higher than our male counterparts. It’s a shame that women leave an entire industry as opposed to finding a better place within it where learned skills are transferable.

In that study, poor management support and a lack of work/life balance were the catalysts. Other reasons we see include sexual harassment, lack of advancement opportunities, and caregiver responsibilities that burn women out. Burnout is particularly problematic when a job requires on-site, extra, or inconvenient hours. Simply having the ability to work at home is a worthwhile benefit.

Remote work eased some of the burden. But not all companies are keeping that benefit post-COVID. If you ask a woman to choose between her job and her family, the outcome isn’t corporate-friendly. Women want to be in charge of their futures and time commitments. This is a primary driver for female entrepreneurship. In fact, 40% of businesses in the US are now female-owned.

Pay equality is an issue. Women don’t make equal wages for equal work. Companies don’t always look at pay parity within their workforces. Women step out of the workforce as family financial implications are lower. But these known and debated issues have been around and bantered for years. Do we still need to address these issues as they arise? Of course, we do. But how much money are we spending trying to govern people’s thoughts? And here’s the rub: while we can address some reported causes in studies, women’s issues can’t be summed up in a training class.

Think back to failures witnessed due to a lack of diversity in the creation process (facial recognition, job descriptions, interview processes, etc.). Biases will always exist, but they can often be mitigated through simple conversations and including disparate people’s inputs. Assuming doesn’t work.

Don’t expect one woman to speak for all women; we are fingerprints. Don’t expect one man to speak for all men; they, too, are fingerprints. And for all the ways we are alike, we are very different and intersectional simultaneously. We have lost the art of conversation in recent years, partially due to teaching that you don’t need to ask.  Why would you ask what someone needs if you “know.”  

Internal Support

The force that legitimately moves the needle for women in tech careers is women in tech and our male supporters. This grassroots movement helps women move forward, move around, and excel within the industry. The amount of support of women by women leaves some of our male counterparts in awe. But as women, we realize that we are not the same. We would do well in our society to stop grouping people by appearance, preference, or any other bias bucket and start viewing people as fingerprints.

We have all met walls that are easier to communicate with than some ‘fingerprints’ in our circle. People change, opinions change, needs change. You can’t train opinions away. If you want to know why women in your organization aren’t thriving, ask.

Ultimately, we must embrace our fingerprints to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed, recognizing the unique contributions each person brings to the table.