Examining the Gender Gap and Inequality in the Tech Workplace

This essay delves into the persistent underrepresentation of women in the technology sector, examining the challenges and inequalities they face. It highlights statistics on the low percentage of women in IT roles, the gender pay gap, and the 'bro culture' that pervades many tech workplaces. The essay also discusses factors contributing to this disparity, such as a lack of mentorship, limited opportunities for advancement, and the societal perception of women in STEM fields. Moreover, the essay explores the initiatives aimed at increasing female representation in tech education and employment, while also acknowledging the continued obstacles, including discrimination and unequal pay. The analysis incorporates data from various sources, including TrustRadius, NCWIT, and Pew Research Center, to illustrate the complex issues and persistent challenges women encounter in the tech industry, and the impact on their career progression and overall job satisfaction. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of fostering a more inclusive and equitable tech environment to attract and retain female talent, ultimately benefiting the industry as a whole.

Essay – Women- Work
The technology field in Canada is thriving. According to the Canadian Venture Capital and
Private Equity Association (CVCA), the tech companies raised more than $891 million in venture
capital funding in the third quarter (Q3) of 2020. Around 80% of Canadian technology
investment flows into fast-growing enterprises that generate jobs, creative goods, and
innovative services. Women, on the other hand, are underrepresented in the IT sector,
accounting for only 25% of IT specialists in the United States. Worse, amid an industry-wide
drive, a recent report indicates that the number of women in the technology sector has scarcely
changed in the last ten years. Where are the women in tech when they've never had it so good?
A lack of female representation in tech can stifle a woman's ability to excel in the field.
According to a TrustRadius study, it may restrict their prospects for mentorship and
sponsorship, as well as promote "irrational gender inequality in company culture," rendering
many women "without a clear path forward." According to the report, 72 percent of women in
tech say they are outnumbered by men in corporate events by at least 2:1, and 26 percent say
they are outnumbered by 5:1 or more. Unfortunately, women in tech are used to a lack of
representation — 72 percent of women said that they had worked for an organisation where
"bro culture" is "pervasive," compared to just 41 percent of men. According to TrustRadius,
"bro culture" can range from a "discomfort work atmosphere to sexual harassment and abuse."
As the article pointed out, the gender disparity in documentation is undoubtedly due to a
perception gap, as it "can be difficult for those in control, or those who are not negatively
impacted, to identify issues within the dominant community." According to data from the
National Center for Women & Information Technology, women make up 47% of all working
adults in the United States, but they only hold 25% of computing jobs as of 2015. (NCWIT).
Asian women currently make up just 5% of the 25% of women employed in tech, while Black
and Hispanic women make up 3% and 1%, respectively. All of this is ignoring the fact that,
according to Pew Research Center data, STEM jobs have grown 79 percent faster than overall
employment in the country since 1990, while total employment has grown 34 percent. Despite
national discussions about the underrepresentation in the tech industry, women are
overwhelmingly excluded from this development.
Concerns about the gender gap in technology education have led to the rise of organisations
launching their own initiatives to recruit women to tech universities. According to the National
Science Foundation, more women are receiving STEM degrees than ever before, and they are
catching up to men in pursuing bachelor's degrees in science and engineering (S&E) subjects.
Others argue that a shortage of girls pursuing advanced Stem – science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics – subjects is diminishing the stream of young females into digital

fields. According to the education campaign WISE, only 9% of female graduates in 2018 studied
a core STEM topic. However, some women can underestimate the opportunity available in the
current world due to misconceptions about technology. When separated by area of study,
women received just 19% of bachelor's degrees in computer science in 2016, compared to 27%
in 1997. Despite the fact that women are underrepresented in CS departments at the
undergraduate level, those who do seek computer science degrees are more likely to go deeper
these days, with women earning 31% of master's degrees in computer science in 2016, up from
28% in 1997. The real work starts after a diploma is received, and the statistics for women in
tech are maybe even more concerning. According to data from the National Science
Foundation, only 38% of women who majored in computer science are employed in the
industry, compared to 53% of men. Comparably, only 24% of women with an engineering
degree continue to work in the sector, contrary to 30% of men. This is a recurring pattern
known as a "leaky pipeline," in which it is hard to retain women in STEM jobs after they have
left university with a STEM degree.
Despite recent calls for gender pay equality, challenges remain in the technology industry.
These pay disparities between men's and women's salaries exist even if other factors such as
experience, roles, education, and location are taken into account. Given the past and ongoing
achievements of women in technology, the tech sector is not at the forefront in this area.
Following a slight decrease in 2018, the percentage of women in tech getting offered well
below men for equal work at the same corporation increased slightly in 2019—to 63 percent.
Similarly, the average salary disparity between male and female tech workers in the United
States has remained stable at 3%, as shown in a 2020 study released at the end of March by job
search firm Hired. According to a Dice study, the pay disparity persists in most specialisations
but may be narrowing in cloud engineering, systems architecture, and network engineering.
The Hired study, on the other hand, looked at changes in the overall U.S. tech industry and
discovered that the gender gap is widening rather than closing. But that is the data. In terms of
perception, only 64 percent of men polled by Hired believe there is a wage disparity between
sexes, with 16 percent persuaded there isn't one and 21 percent unaware. Women are more
aware of the gap than men, with only 6% believing it does not exist and 10% uncertain.
According to Hired data, the greatest difference in major metro areas is in New York (10%) and
the smallest in Los Angeles (5%). With such a widening wage disparity, it's not strange that
women in the industry have lesser salary expectations for themselves, contributing to the wage
disparity, according to Hired's analysts. And, in 2019, expectations were smaller than in 2018:
65 percent of women asked for lower salaries than men in 2019, compared to 61 percent in
2018. According to IDC's 2019 Women in Technology report, women are also more concerned
with compensation than most stereotypes would have people believe. There is a common
misconception that women are more concerned with benefits and flexibility than men, but 52
percent of women are concerned with compensation and pay, compared to 33 percent of men.
Furthermore, 75 percent of men believe their employer provides equal pay, while only 42

percent of women believe the same. Compensation is undoubtedly a top priority for women in
technology, who frequently earn less than their male counterparts.
The industry has cultivated a toxic sex discrimination, leading workplace culture gap. Many
internet companies are led by men, and female role models are scarce. With tech firms
constantly competing for top talent, the need for a strong and positive workplace culture is
more important than it ever was. A great culture is more than just saying "work hard, play
hard." It is about providing a comfortable, constructive, and supportive environment for diverse
people of all types to work in. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in July and
August of 2017, women in the United States are substantially more likely than men to say
discrimination against women is a major problem in the tech world. According to the new
survey, roughly three-quarters of Americans (73%) believe gender discrimination is a problem in
the tech industry, with 37 percent citing it as a major issue and an equal amount citing it as a
minor issue. However, 44 percent of women, compared to 29 percent of men, believe it is a
major issue. In addition, roughly one-third of men (32%) believe that gender discrimination is
not a concern, compared to 17% of women. Younger women are much more likely than older
ladies to believe that discrimination against women is a major issue in the technology industry.
This is stated by nearly half (49%) of women under the age of 50, compared to 39% of women
over the age of 50. Women in computer jobs are also more likely than men in these jobs to
believe that gender discrimination is a major problem in the tech industry (43 percent to 31
percent ); roughly twice as many men (32 percent ) as women (15 percent ) in these jobs
believe that sex discrimination is not a problem for companies. The survey results are
consistent with previous research on societal perceptions of discrimination against women.
Previous Pew Research Center polls have found that women are significantly more likely than
men to believe that gender discrimination exists in our society today. According to a 2014
survey, 65 percent of women and 48 percent of men believe there is at least some
discrimination against women. Most Americans do not believe that gender prejudice is more
prevalent in the tech industry than in others. More than half (57%) believe there is about the
same amount of discrimination against women in technology as there is in other industries. A
quarter of adults (27%) believe there is more discrimination against women in the tech
industry, while 14% believe there is less. However, there are gender differences in this question
as well. One-third of women, compared to 19% of men, believe there is more sexual
discrimination in technology than in other industries.
Startups are known for their innovative work environments, but women leadership continue
to face challenges. According to a Silicon Valley Bank study, only one in every four startups has
a female founder, 37 percent have at least one woman on their board of directors, and 53
percent have at least one woman in an executive role. The gender of the founder also has a
straightforward impact on gender diversity, according to the study. 50% of startups with at

least one female founder had a female CEO, compared to only 5% of companies with no female
founder. Worst than, startups with at least one female founder confirmed more difficulty in
finding funding, with 87 percent telling it was “somewhat or extremely difficult,” compared to
only 78 percent of startups with no female founder. According to IDC, the proportion of women
in top management positions increased from 21% to 24% between 2018 and 2019. That's good
news, because possessing women in senior leadership positions has been shown to increase
female employee retention rates. Female employees are more likely to stay in the job for more
than a year, report higher job satisfaction, and believe the company is trustworthy in
organisations where 50 percent or more senior leadership positions are held by women.
Despite the fact that these statistics are improving, women continue to be less optimistic about
their chances for senior leadership than males. According to the report, 54 percent of men
believe they will be promoted to executive leadership in their corporation. Only 25% of women
agreed, citing a lack of care, self-confidence, and leadership development, as well as the need
to “prove themselves more than men to get promoted.”
Women IT professionals bring new insights to company boards. Companies with diversified
corporate boards outperform their peers in terms of performance, innovation, and attracting
and retaining top talent. Although there is still a significant gap between how men and women
perceive gender diversity progress in IT, the industry has made strides in attracting more
women and moving closer to gender equality.
References:
https://www.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/women-in-tech-report?
utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=womenintech2021
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2020/jan/02/ten-years-on-why-are-there-still-so-few-women-in-
tech
https://www.cio.com/article/3516012/women-in-tech-statistics-the-hard-truths-of-an-uphill-battle.html
https://betakit.com/q3-2020-venture-capital-investment-in-canadian-tech-lowest-in-two-years-cvca-
finds/
https://www.ncwit.org/resources/women-tech-facts-2016-update
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/women-and-men-in-stem-often-at-odds-over-
workplace-equity/
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf19304/
https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/statistics/core-stem-graduates-2018/
https://insights.dice.com/2020/03/05/gender-pay-gap-in-tech-report/

https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/tech-careers/women-in-tech-face-increased-
wage-discrimination
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/women-in-tech-pramerica-culture
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/10/women-are-more-concerned-than-men-about-
gender-discrimination-in-tech-industry/