Discrimination in the technology industry is nothing new and has stemmed from the origins of internet development. Traditionally, women were not involved in the academic sphere, nor people of colour, let alone innovation and invention. White men were the main contributors for the creation and and development of the Internet and these ideals and inputs from like minded men continue to show in our online experience.
When looking at the representation of diversity within technological corporations, studies have showcased a significant disparity between the supply and demand regarding graduates with Black or Hispanic traits. The figures point towards these graduates completing their stem courses twice as fast as the top technological firms were hiring them, harming a specific, yet widespread demographic (Marcus, 2015).
Despite conversations regarding gender diversity in the tech sphere, women are still underrepresented, underpaid, and discriminated against. There is a prominent employment gap, with only 25% of women holding computer jobs despite the tech boom that has been sharply increasing since 1990.
Furthermore, the work culture within technology jobs have been found to be rather male-orientated and toxic, with many women feeling as if their gender would get in the way of their corporate success. Increasing representation of women in tech is a fantastic way to promote career opportunities as well as providing a chance for the technology industry to rise to society’s demands; the ability of the technology industry as a whole, when women are involved, can innovate and rise to meet the needs of society (White, 2021).
The lack of diversity in Google is obvious: white and Asian men has dominated the industry; only 5.9% of the contractors and employees are Latino, and 3.7% are Black as Google had almost 50,000 employees in 2014. As the industry lack of diversity employees, the Black investors only make up at less than 1% of venture capitalists (Dean, 2020).
Reference List:
Dean, S. & Bhuiyan, J., 2020. Why are black and Latino people still kept out of the tech industry? Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-06-24/tech-started-publicly-taking-lack-of-diversity-seriously-in-2014-why-has-so-little-changed-for-black-workers [Accessed September 15, 2022].
Marcus, B. (2015, August 12). The Lack Of Diversity In Tech Is A Cultural Issue. Forbes. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bonniemarcus/2015/08/12/the-lack-of-diversity-in-tech-is-a-cultural-issue/?sh=381573a879a2
White, S. K. (2021, December 7). Women in tech statistics: The hard truths of an uphill battle. CIO. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.cio.com/article/201905/women-in-tech-statistics-the-hard-truths-of-an-uphill-battle.html
Lusoli, A., & Turner, F. (2020, July 16). “It’s an Ongoing Bromance”: Counterculture and Cyberculture in Silicon Valley—An Interview with Fred Turner. Journal of Management Inquiry, 30(2), 235–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492620941075