New research from Accenture and Girls Who Code reveals that the percentage of tech workers who were women in 1984 (35 percent) was actually higher than it is today (32 percent).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Article Author: <\/div>\n

Gloria Samuels, Senior Managing Director and Global Workday Lead, Accenture<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The tech industry long has realized that it has an issue with gender diversity. But cracking the challenge of getting more women into the sector seems as elusive as ever. It’s not because the tech sector has not tried. Ask most companies today and they will tell you that gender diversity is important to them, and that they’re busily seeking to hire more women for tech roles. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the gender imbalance is getting worse, not better. <\/span>New research<\/a><\/span> from Accenture and Girls Who Code reveals that the percentage of tech workers who were women in 1984 (35 percent) was actually higher than it is today (32 percent). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when the tech sector is crying out for skilled people, we seem to be going backwards on tapping a huge pool of talent and ideas. As long as this persists, tech companies will struggle to build products that truly appeal to women, and the problems with associated biases likely will be exacerbated.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Troubling Disconnect<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What’s going wrong? One of the issues seems to be a disconnect between the perceptions of senior HR leaders and the lived experiences of their female workers. According to our research, while more than three-quarters of senior HR leaders say their company culture empowers women to be successful in technology roles, only about half of the women workers we surveyed feel the same. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But perhaps the most troubling disconnect comes to perceptions around inclusivity. Only 38 percent of HR leaders identify building a more inclusive culture as an effective means to retain and advance women in technology roles. Yet women who leave tech roles in the workforce, or who are likely to leave in the near future, identify a non-inclusive company culture as the most frequently cited reason they leave or plan to leave (selected by 37 percent of respondents). It’s little wonder that 50 percent of women in tech roles have quit by the time they’re 35. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What Makes for Inclusivity?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s clear from these findings that much work needs to be done on building inclusivity in the tech sector. The first step is to define exactly what “inclusivity” means in the working environment. Three years’ worth of research covering more than 70,000 workers globally has helped us identify three core components to what makes a workplace inclusive:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> A diverse leadership team that provides role models and publishes targets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Policies and practices designed to level the playing field for women. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Employees are treated like humans; diversity and individuality are actively encouraged, and employees are given flexibility and control over how, when, and where they work.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We found that companies defined as inclusive deliver exponentially more rewarding experiences for their female workforce. For example, 85 percent of women at more inclusive companies say they love their jobs compared to just 28 percent at less inclusive companies. Sixty-six percent of the women we spoke to from more inclusive workplaces said they’d been promoted compared to 42 percent at less inclusive workplaces. Women clearly thrive in companies that are truly inclusive, and are much more likely to stay in their jobs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Boosting Women in Tech<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What would happen if more companies adopted the inclusive practices of businesses that lead in this area? Our analysis suggests that nationwide adoption of five cultural practices could help retain a staggering 1.4 million young women in tech roles by 2030. For me, the first two report recommendations intersect with my career and passions: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n