Diversity in Technology: Crossing the Barriers

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I recently came across this exchange in the comments section of an article about diversity in tech that caught my eye.

Comment 1: This theme of diversity is wearing thin.

Comment 2: Diversity is not a theme or a buzzword. It's an incredibly complex need to include half the population in an industry they've long been kept out of.

Not to over-analyze this little exchange, but there's a lot to unpack here - and it's emblematic of a larger issue. Some people clearly don't understand the value of greater diversity. At the same time, many thousands of people feel left out of an entire industry that affects them in a very direct way - and they are amazed at how important this cannot be considered.

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The challenge? To arrive at a place where it is understood that everyone, universally, benefits from a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Diverse work environments create space for different perspectives, foster new ways of thinking, improve problem solving and drive innovation.

Is there really a diversity problem in tech?

Let's first reaffirm that yes, even now in 2022, diversity in technology is a concern. Following a report by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a recent study by Zippia found that “men hold 75% of technology jobs in the United States and are offered salaries 3% higher than women”. Compared to industries in general, "the high-tech industry employs a lower proportion of Black Americans (7.4% versus 14.4%), Latin Americans (8% versus 13.9%) and women (36% versus 48%).”

Specific to the representation of black talent, the Kapor Center's 2022 State of Tech Diversity report found that "between 2014 and 2021, the industry produced just a 1% increase in Black representation in technical roles at large tech companies Black talent makes up just 4.4% of board roles, 3.7% in technical roles, and just 4.0% in executive leadership ."

On top of that, a pay gap persists, with black workers on average being "paid 4% less than their peers and often hired in lower level positions than their qualifications warrant".

Why is there a lack of diversity in technology?

Starting in 2017 with the #MeToo movement and propelled by the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, there has been a strong call for all businesses, including tech, to rethink their approach to diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In the years that followed, companies across all industries were put in a position of self-reflection and choice about how they were going to tackle this problem in the future. p>

For tech companies, the problems seemed particularly entrenched in culture and difficult to solve. So, what if we took a step back and asked the experts why there is a persistent lack of diversity in technology? Here's an answer to consider.

In an article about the information age, Laura Smith, former head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Bolt, a San Francisco-based software company, describes it this way. "It's easy for companies to dismiss the lack of diversity in technology as a pipeline issue or a legacy issue - it's a comfortable dia...