WOMEN IN IT: THE FACTS!

è Increased sales revenue, more customers, bigger market share"

è Higher-than-average profitability"

è Greater return on equity and return to shareholders "

è Greater potential for creativity, sharing of knowledge, task fulfillment"

"Sources: Workplace Diversity Pays, American Sociological Review (2009), Capitalizing on Thought Diversity, Research-

Technology Management (2009), The Difference, Scott Page (2007), Innovative Potential, London Business School (2007), The Bottom Line, Catalyst (2004)"

Companies Benefit from Diversity in Innovation!

As Technology Jobs Increase, Women’s Participation Declines!

Current Trends in the Computing Education Pipeline Also Troubling!

•  If current graduation trends continue, the industry will only be able to fill 30% of the 1.4 million tech jobs added by 2020. "

•  Only 18% of computer and information science degrees were earned by women in 2010.!

Source: U.S. Dept of Labor, Employment Projections, 2010-2020

è 74% of technical women say they love their work"

"è Yet 56% leave at the “mid-level”""è This is twice the quit rate for men"

Source: Athena Factor, Center for Work-Life Policy, 2008 "

Failing Not Just to Attract but to Retain Technical Talent!

!Average turnover cost for a technical employee"

A Costly Time to Leave;!A Crucial Point for Intervention!

Sources: Capturing Turnover Costs, Joins, 2000; TalentKeepers, 2010; Athena Factor, 2008"

Percent of women who will continue working after they leave"

Number of women who might have remained if this attrition were reduced"

è UNCONSCIOUS  BIAS  è Lack  of  Mentors  &  Professional  Development  è Supervisory  RelaAonships  è Bias  in  Performance  Reviews  and  PromoAon  è Lack  of  Support  for  CompeAng  Life  

ResponsibiliAes  

Source: Women in IT:The Facts, NCWIT"

WHY Are They Leaving? The Key Reasons !

We know that unconscious biases are particularly salient in organizations or professions dominated by a single group (e.g., tech, elementary teaching)!!"

Why Are They Leaving? !Unconscious Bias!

è Unconscious bias results from “schemas” "

è Schemas are necessary; everyone has them"

è They let us pay attention to only select information"

è We need them to live … but …"

è They also lead to implicit or unconscious bias""

Sources: Banaji & Hardin, 1996; Biernat, Manis & Nelson, 1991; Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004. "

What is Unconscious Bias?!

"

"

What do you see?!

Count How Many Passes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkn3wRyb9Bk"

"

A Technical Example: Heidi Roizen, A Case Study!

» BA and MBA from Stanford » Co-founder of T/Maker Company (1983

software company, acquired in 1994) and SkinnySongs

» VP at Apple Computer » Venture capitalist: Managing Director of

Mobius VC

A Technical Example: Heidi & Howard, Columbia Business School Study!

A Technical Example: Heidi & Howard!

A Technical Example: Heidi & Howard!

Subtle Dynamics: Stereotype Threat!

•  Fear that our performance will confirm negative stereotypes

•  Raises anxiety, reduces confidence and risk-taking, lowers performance

Example: White male engineering students score lower when told in advance that Asians typically score higher on math tests"

Source: Aronson, et al., 1999; Steele & Aronson, 1998"

Subtle Instances Add Up: !Stereotype Threat!

How Unconscious Bias Affects the Workplace!

CREATE AN ECOSYSTEM.!

Call to Action: Individuals!

•  Educate yourself and examine decisions, beliefs, actions for hidden biases

•  Examine your actions for self-limiting behaviors or beliefs

•  Question interpretations such as “so and so is just not a risk taker” – consider more complex interpretations and encourage others to do so

•  Provide encouragement as appropriate

Call to Action: Supervisors & Managers!

•  Advance women into senior technical roles and provide encouragement as appropriate

•  Assure healthy debate in team sessions

•  “Sponsor” underrepresented groups on the technical career path – note that this is not the same as mentoring

•  Examine your task assignment and performance reviews for bias

Call to Action: NCWIT Resources to Help!"

è Supervisory Program-in-a-Box Series: 5-part series helping supervisors address unconscious biases"

è Mentoring Technical Women Program-in-a-Box: Ready-made tools for implementing and evaluating a research-based mentoring program!

è  Industry Strategic Planning Guide for Increasing Women’s Participation in Computing: Blueprint for planning efforts to address all areas of the “ecosystem”"

Percent of open source contributed by women

Percent of IT patents held by women

Percent of corporate officer positions in Fortune 500 technology companies held by women

Percent of board positions in Fortune 500 technology companies held by women

Percent of senior management positions in technical/R&D departments held by women, in a Silicon Valley study

Percent of senior management positions in non-technical departments held by women, in a Silicon Valley study

Source: Women & IT: The Facts, NCWIT."

Bias Impedes Technology Innovation: What Can Your Company Do?!