We at FintekNews are always very aware of our surroundings and current events, so when we run across an article like this.....well, we just have to share. It also brings to light what women seem to already know; men are clueless. But, in their defense, why should they care because they don't have to be around them at work. Seems everybody knows tech types are overwhelmingly white males, except white male workers. Bone up on your diversity and give this a quick read. Its fun and insightful.
(Bill Taylor/CEO)
The lack of diversity in the tech industry is pretty well understood by now—by everyone except those who work there, it would seem. According to a recent survey of 1,400 tech employees, 94 percent of American tech workers give the industry, their companies, and their teams a passing grade on diversity. That’s in a sector where 76 percent of technical jobs are held by men, and blacks and Latinos make up only 5 percent of the workforce.
“Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and women are so underrepresented that people have lost the ability to perceive what balance is,” said Aubrey Blanche, the chief diversity officer for Atlassian Inc., which makes software for team collaboration. She commissioned the survey to benchmark her company's attitudes against the broader industry. The results were too surprising, she said, not to publicize them.
So why the disconnect?
In responding to the survey, employees relied on a mix of typical Silicon Valley excuses, and gave their companies and industry credit for trying. Sixty percent said their company was making an effort, though they couldn’t point to any concrete action. Twenty percent said they didn’t think there was an issue with diversity because “we’re a meritocracy.”
That attitude probably doesn’t help. Researchers from MIT have shown that the belief that the tech industry rewards merit above all else in fact makes people more biased in hiring, promoting and rewarding workers....
Read Full Article at Bloomberg.com