Back in May 2014, Google released a workforce demographic that highlighted huge disparities in employment for tech. By and large, their tech departments were (and still are) predominantly white and male. Women accounted for only 17% of their tech team, while black and hispanic employees only accounted for 3% combined. Other tech companies soon followed suit and released similar reports, all of which indicate there is a serious lack of diversity in tech.
While this disparity has been a long-standing issue, the last decade has seen a decline in representation from minority groups. According to Mother Jones, the percentage of women in tech dropped 7% at Silicon Valley's top 10 companies from 1999 to 2012. There is a similar trend when you look at the number of black and hispanic employees over the last 10 to 15 years.
Acknowledging that the lack of diversity in tech is problematic, Google has made concerted efforts to employ and promote more women and people of color, while striving to eschew discriminatory hiring practices. Nevertheless, the issue is persistent. Google and other companies often attribute the issue to small talent pools, with fewer candidates from under-represented groups receiving an education in computer science. Across the U.S., organizations and initiatives have cropped up to get more women and people of color involved in coding at all ages. There's Girl Develop It, Urban Code Project, and Google's internship programs, but education and networking are only part of the solution.
The tech industry historically has a reputation of being unwelcoming or hostile toward minority groups, which is sometimes couched under the pretense of an incongruous "culture fit". Access to education is absolutely critical, but the work environment in tech also needs to be one of fairness and respect—from how we interact to financial compensation.
As I begin my career as a developer, I'm acutely aware of tech's lack of diversity and how I may be affected as a person of color, but I'm optimistic about the future. A cultural shift is occuring—even if it's slow. More companies are invested in diversity as a push toward innovation. I think this is an exciting time to be involved in tech and collectively change the landscapce. Finally, while considering the lack of diversity and the power dynamics at play, I think it's important for me to be mindful of my own privilege. As I researched statistics on diversity, I noticed that most reports from major publications rarely touched on intersectionality, particularly the intersections of race and gender and the nuances of occupying multiple under-represented groups. While the analyses often obscured this point, numerous organizations are approaching this subject from an academic and professional vantage (See: Black Girls Code)