According to a recently released study from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency administering and enforcing civil rights laws against workplace discrimination, the percentage of women in the tech sector has stayed the same since 2005. The study found that in 2022 women made up 22.6% of the tech workers, almost the same level of 22% seventeen years earlier and well below the 47.3% of women in the U.S. workforce.
The report, “High Tech, Low Inclusion: Diversity in the High Tech Workforce and Sector from 2014 – 2022” highlighted demographic disparities for workers in 56 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and the industries employing them.
It built on past reports from EEOC from 2016 and 2017, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“The high tech workforce failed to reflect the sex and race/ethnic diversity present in the total U.S. workforce,” the recent EEOC report stated, while it further warned that women were more likely to “experience sex-based discrimination, including harassment, when working in occupations and in a sector that is dominated by men.”
The situation has actually gotten worse post-pandemic warned Chenxi Wang, founder and general partner at Rain Capital
“During the pandemic, female workers disproportionately disappeared from the workforce,” Wang told ClearanceJobs via an email. “The cybersecurity industry is no exception. Even though the pandemic is over, the female workers’ population has not recovered because of family caretaking obligations and a number of other factors. That means as an industry, we should try harder to develop diverse talent as well as attract female workers back to their jobs.”
Diversity is Also a Problem
It wasn’t just women who were underrepresented in the tech workforce the EEOC study found. It warned that the magnitude of the underrepresentation for some demographic groups – notably women and Black workers, “combined with research and the EEOC’s experience enforcing anti-discrimination laws,” suggested that discrimination was a likely contributor to the relatively low employment of women, Black workers, Hispanic workers, and older workers in the tech sector.
“Sixty years after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there is a high degree of underrepresentation and a disturbing lack of career advancement for female, Black, and Hispanic workers in the high tech workforce, despite the recent period of growth in high tech occupations,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows via a statement.
“America’s high tech sector, which leads the world in crafting technologies of the future, should not have a workforce that looks like the past,” Burrows added. “It is important for high-tech employers to self-assess and address any discriminatory barriers limiting employment opportunities and to implement proactive policies to increase inclusion. Everyone deserves access to these high tech opportunities, which often provide competitive pay, benefits, job security, and stability.”
There are also concerns that women are underrepresented in tech, due to the industry still largely dominated by a male-centric “bro” culture warned technology industry analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends.
“Surveys reveal that pay disparity, a lack of upward mobility, limited opportunities for advancement, and , and failure to promote women in tech are contributing to dissatisfaction in the workplace,” she told ClearanceJobs. “The gap between the number of men and women in technology is expanding, and the pay difference between genders is also increasing, as per a recent report by online education tech company Skillsoft.”
Opportunities Do Exist
Despite the findings of the report, some experts have said the situation could be on the upswing.
“To the next generation of workers, to those thinking of a career switch – You belong in cyber,” said former NSA cybersecurity expert Evan Dornbush.
“Ours is a community born from the fringes,” Dornbush told ClearanceJobs. “Ours is a diverse group that constantly tinkers and explores, builds, and breaks. No matter your background or appearance, if you have a passion for solving challenges and investing time in yourself, you are welcome. The Women’s Society of Cyberjustu is an amazing resource. ‘Girls who Hack’ inspires. Groups like theirs play a vital role in fostering diversity and inclusion within the field, empowering future leaders in the community.”
It may require additional efforts not just to recruit women, but also to retain them.
“Nearly one-in-three (31%) of women in tech are considering leaving their organization over the next 12 months due mainly to poor management and a lack of training, and 37% are considering switching roles in the next year. Just 27% of women in tech are extremely satisfied with their jobs,” said Schreiner, citing the Skillsoft’s Women In Tech survey.
“Thought-leadership needs to strategically make their workplace-culture more equitable. Companies need to invest in educating their staff. HR needs to more closely evaluate which departments are losing the most female workers, and under which managers,” Schreiner suggested. “Policies need to be re-evaluated to empower women with greater flexibility, and so on. There’s no silver bullet, but actions speak louder than words – because if the gap isn’t plugged, more women are going to leave the industry.”
