CHAPTER 1
The Current State of Women of Color in Tech

It is probably no surprise to you that there is a lack of women in technical careers within the United States. If you performed a general web search on “women in technology,” you will find numerous articles, studies, podcasts, and more that point out this deficiency. In a 2019 study from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), the number of women in computing professions has remained relatively stagnant at 25 percent since 2007. While tech companies have made great strides in increasing the number of women in technical roles, it's disappointing considering that women make up nearly 60 percent of the total US workforce. What does not get reported, or at least not very often, is the lack of women of color in technical roles.

The Realities

In the NCWIT study, it denoted that the percentage of African American/Black women in computing professions has increased to 12.9 percent in 2017. This is wonderful in many ways, as the numbers were considerably lower for many years, but there has been a negative migration of women in general occurring at some top tech companies. That means that more women are leaving tech companies and careers than staying in them. The Figure 1.1 details the fluctuations of women in the computing professions from 2003–2017.

Figure 1.1: Percentage of computing occupations held by women 2003–2017

Source: NCWIT, Computing Workforce, 2019

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that women only held only 26 percent of computing roles in 2013, a 9 percent decrease from 1990. The breakdown by race is also dismal, as shown in Table 1.1.

In a study of the career and economic progress of minorities in top technology companies by the Ascend Foundation, the number of Black women in technical professions declined by 13 percent over a 12-year period.

Many professional programs exist that aim to educate, nurture, and ultimately keep young women of color in technical careers. Who is it that developed these programs? Colleges and universities? Tech companies and the people within the industry? The answer is all these entities have invested a great deal of time, money, and manual effort to bring more diverse, female talent into technical ranks. Some programs focus on young women as early as elementary school, while others provide educational opportunities, career guidance, and mentorship in college or in the early stages of their professional careers.

Table 1.1: Diversity Challenge by Cohort

Source: The Ascend Foundation

What's Going On?

While this awareness and the many resources available are wonderful, the lack of women of color in technology continues to persist. Many have said that the problem is that young women in general are not encouraged to pursue science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (or STEM) careers in early in their lives. Others have said that young women of color often don't have access to academic opportunities or resources that will help them develop critical skills necessary for these careers. And others have said that tech workplaces are not cultivating diverse and inclusive environments where women of color feel welcome.

I believe it's all of these things, and much more. Essentially, women of color are “funneled out” of technical careers, starting from early childhood. Although many girls exhibit a natural curiosity and talent for STEM subjects early on in their lives, this curiosity may become diminished over time due to cultural factors, lack of resources, and many other factors.

Early Childhood

The number of young girls interested in STEM fields and activities starts to diminish in early childhood. This can be due to lack of active encouragement in their home and school environments, and the lack of role models who look like them in STEM fields in their lives.

Young girls, particularly those growing up in minority or foreign-born households, are more likely to be encouraged to perform gender-normative activities like playing with dolls or playing “house” and to be encouraged to take on caregiving responsibilities (like babysitting) rather than explore robotics or programming.

Even if girls can invest the time in these interests, parents may not be as supportive as they could be, as they believe that this could be a passing “tomboy” phase they are in, where they are engaging in behaviors and activities that are (perceived to be) normal only to boys. Parental support may be superficial or even contradictory. And some girls are just shamed outright for not conforming to what it means to be a “girl” by their culture and society's standards.

I remember volunteering at a girls-in-STEM career fair years ago—a young Hispanic girl approached the table along with her parents. She was looking intently at the Raspberry Pi that was sitting on the table but hadn't said a word for a few minutes. I eventually asked her if she had any questions about the Pi and how it worked. As I began to explain, she started to warm up and ask more questions. At one point, she stopped herself because she thought she was getting too “geeky.” I said, “Not at all”—I loved the enthusiasm and told her that this was a safe space to geek out!

Her parents, on the other hand, were not beaming with enthusiasm. In their defense, all-day career fairs can be energy- and time-consuming. But in general, they didn't appear to share in their daughter's excitement—not that they themselves needed to be interested in computing, but rather they didn't appear to share their daughter's enthusiasm in a possible career fit. When we were done talking and she shared what she had learned with them, they nodded appropriately, thanked me, and then quickly proceeded to another booth. As they moved, it almost appeared that the girl went back to a “shell-like” state, and her enthusiasm had gone away.

Another instance—again while volunteering at a girls-in-STEM event, this time geared toward young Black girls—was when I was watching one of the young girls interact with her mom. There was a break in the program, so she came over to give her mom a hug and kiss. As she ran off, the mother shook her head and said that while she loved her daughter, she was “special” for liking this sort of thing. From her tone, you could tell that she was implying something negative, as if there was something inherently wrong with her daughter having this interest. Studies have indicated that parental influence, encouragement, their own educational levels, and support are major factors in whether a student, male or female, chooses a STEM education or career. Parents who themselves have not studied STEM or are in those careers themselves may not strongly advocate or support their daughters pursuing those paths.

Even in the most supportive of households, however, parents' own feelings and attitudes on gender “norms” (behaviors and attitudes that they consider “normal” for each gender) may influence the degree of support they offer to their daughters. Parents are likelier to support their daughters doing well in their overall studies than directly suggest they pursue STEM education and careers. This may be due to their own perceptions of what they believe women can and are able to do. Parents may not realize that they are engaging in behaviors and patterns that may discourage young women.

Young Black girls who have low parental involvement, as well as less-than-ideal social and economic conditions in their homes, are even less likely to pursue STEM in college—assuming they are even able to go to college.

Primary, Middle, and High School

As girls of color begin school, the number who sustain an interest in STEM may continue to drop. On top of low parental involvement and support, girls in general may not be actively encouraged by their friends, teachers, or school faculty to take STEM classes or participate in STEM after-school activities.

This assumes that STEM classes and activities are even offered in their school or local community. Although as a society it seems we've placed a premium on STEM education, there are still many places in the United States that are “STEM deserts” or a lack of schools that offer STEM education that prepares students for college-level work and careers. According to Education Week, STEM deserts are likelier to exist in high-poverty schools (schools where 75 percent or more of the students...