Be Part of the Change: Diversity in Tech Roles

Awareness and conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion have increased in recent years, yet when it comes to DEI among a variety of tech positions, recent data does not reflect any significant gains.

why is diversity in tech leadership important? 

Leaders with different perspectives and experiences can unify companies, create strength among teams and participate in creative problem solving. The results from a notable global study show that women leaders can be highly assertive, persuasive and possess a higher risk tolerance than men. Yet, women’s representation accounts for 26.7 percent of the tech workforce and Black women specifically, make up only 1.7 percent. 

According to McKinsey, women often employ a collaborative work style, listening to others, taking time to review and reflect things and often being more empathetic and inclusive than their male counterparts. In other research by Frank Recruitment Group, 87 percent of the companies on the list led by a female CEO reported above-average profits, compared to 78 percent of companies with male leaders. 

By increasing the visibility of women in the tech workplace through mentorship opportunities, more placements and integrating women in leadership roles, small gains can be made. 

“For women in programming, know that you will work with more men than women,” said Kathryn Cook, Developer at Configura. “At this point, all tech companies want to increase diversity in the workplace, and in some ways that can work to our advantage in the current and near-future career landscape.”  

A staggering lack of leadership at the top

New research by Frank Recruitment Group into the gender makeup of chief information officers in The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index companies reveals some bleak numbers: over the last five years only 42 women have held a CIO position, in contrast to the 138 men who have sat in the chair. And of the women who have held this position, their tenure tends to be shorter—on average a year less than their male counterparts. 

The statistics for female leadership for women of color in the tech world are even more discouraging. Black professionals, both men and women as a whole, account for only 7.4 percent of the tech workforce. And as you climb the corporate ladder, that percentage is even smaller.  

And to add to this grim reality, women who have made it to the top are leaving. In 2023, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, also one of Google's earliest employees, announced she's leaving the company. The announcement came soon after Meta said chief business officer Marne Levine is stepping down after 13 years with the company. She's the third female C-suite leader to leave Meta in recent years, following chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg's exit in 2022 and global ad chief Carolyn Everson's in 2021. 

Below, several Configurans pose in support of International Women's Day 2023. 

little improvement for entry level positions

When it comes to women in technology, things are getting worse, not better. Even though data from the National Science Foundation, indicates that more women than ever before are receiving STEM degrees, only 19 percent of computer science degrees were awarded to women in 2016, down from 27 percent in 1997.  

Anne-E Jones, a former Developer at Configura and ScrumMaster of her team, found herself in a computer science class at the University of Michigan while she was figuring out what direction to take and ended up loving the class – and the industry. 

She appreciates the collaboration found in tech. “It boils down to building something cool with my team,” she said. “The product we end up producing turns out to be better than if you were to just do it alone."

Unfortunately, however great the work is, women typically make less than their male counterparts in science, engineering, mathematics and computer science occupations — with an average median salary of $66,000 per year, versus $90,000 for men. 

These disparities have come to light more recently during tech industry layoffs that have threatened to cut into DEI commitments in the industry. According to Reuters, in 2019 Meta committed to doubling the number of Black and Hispanic employees in its U.S. operations and doubling the women working in its global workforce by the year 2024. From the same Reuters article, despite these previous commitments, Meta, along with Amazon, Twitter and Snap have cut a total of 97,000 jobs in response to a combination of worrisome economic issues like rising interest rates and changes in business and consumer behavior. According to data from Revelio Labs, women workers account for 46.6 percent of the tech layoffs from September to December 2022. 

configura is committed to being part of the change 

Work is being done by a variety of groups to turn the tide. A few include Ada Developers Academy, AnitaB.org, Black Girls Code, Change Catalysts, Girl Develop It, Girls in Tech, Girls Who Code, League of Women Coders, National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), Switch, TechLadies, TechWomen, Women in Technology International (WITI) and Women Who Code. 

Configura is working hard to diversify its talent pool. The female to male ratio at Configura has grown every year for the past five and now stands at 30/70 women to men. Configura is committed to reaching or exceeding a goal of 40 percent women in our workforce.  

“In programming there are multiple ways to solve any problem, but you can use all of your creativity and experience to figure out the best way to do each task,” said Configura Developer, Kathryn Cook. “This work is perfect for someone who likes immediate results, problem solving and clear, plain, understandable logic and communication.” 

The work to attract and retain more women and increase diversity in technology is going to take time and the will to make it happen. But the benefits of moving toward a more diverse tech workforce will boost the entire industry.  

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