Women in Tech Positions have Increased to Nearly 30%, According to AnitaB.org

The number of women working in tech positions is growing, according to the 2019 Top Companies for Women Technologists Insights Report by AnitaB.org.

AnitaB.org is a nonprofit that works to increase representation of women working in tech, and their annual report serves as a benchmark on how the industry is doing. This report is the only one of its kind that specifically looks at women in technical positions.

The number of women working in these positions in the companies that participated has risen to 29.8% at the entry level and 25.12% overall. The report cites that, according to research, when an underrepresented group reaches 30% representation in an organization, the culture begins to change and equity becomes more accessible.

The number of women in entry-level tech positions is up slightly from 29.5% in 2018. In 2017, the percentage was 27.8%.

Though the numbers of women in entry tech positions are rising, the rate decreases ascending the corporate ladder. This year, women fill 24.5% of mid-level positions, 19.7% of senior positions and 18.5% of executive positions.

However, as the report states, the high rate of women entering tech positions should fuel the pipeline for women in higher-level positions in the future.

Top Companies for Women Technologists gathered data from 76 companies across various fields.

Regarding policies that better foster a diverse workforce, the companies that participated reported an increase in flex-time policy — which allows workers to set their own hours — gender diversity training and sponsorship programs. Policies up most significantly from 2018 covered gender pay equity and eliminating gender bias in performance reviews.

tech, AnitaB.org, women

Most of the companies who participated in the report also offered information on the race of women technologists. Women of color are still greatly underrepresented. Black/African American women make up 8.2% of women in tech, and Hispanic/Latina women make up 5.8%. Though these numbers are small, they are up from last year. In 2018, the numbers were 5.5% for Black women and 4.9% for Hispanic/Latina women. White women are the most represented at 47.2%, and Asian women come in second at 36.5%. Those who identify as multiracial make up 1.8%, and Pacific Islanders and Native Americans both make up 0.3%.

While white women reportedly make 81 cents to a man’s dollar across the board, the numbers become more dismal for women of color. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, Black women make only 61 cents.

Some of the leading companies for gender diversity in tech jobs include Quora, Inc. and the New York Times for companies with fewer than 1,000 tech employees. For those with a medium-sized technical workforce (between 1,000 and 10,000 employees) include Airbnb, Allstate Insurance Company and Blackbaud. For those with a large technical workforce, leaders include Accenture (No. 7 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 list), Bank of America and IBM.

AnitaB.org advocates for 50/50 gender equity in tech by 2025 and says that the goal is possible through the improvement of pay, hiring, retention, venture funding and overall empowerment.

Related Story: Study Finds Investors Predict Tech and Finance Companies With More Gender Diversity Will See Stock Prices Rise

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