In May, I had the pleasure of attending the graduation ceremony at Wellesley College, the women’s liberal arts school where I’ve worked as a lecturer in the physics department for the past two years. I proudly watched students, including 20 physics majors, walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, ready to take on the world.
The ceremony prompted me to think back to my own graduation from this very same college in 1984, when I was one of just five physics majors. At the time, I was not particularly phased by the small size of this group; if we’re being honest, I was more focused on playing sports during my college years. However, in thinking about the evolution of women in physics, and the science and technology sphere more generally, I started to reflect on the state of diversity in the technology industry.
In the 35 years since I graduated, there has certainly been progress opening doors for women in tech. Today, there are more women pursuing degrees in STEM, becoming entrepreneurs, and claiming their spots as members of the C-suite than ever before. But is it enough? Just because more women are taking on these roles doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do.
Why have we not done a better job of making tech workspaces inclusive?
I’ve been fortunate enough to hold several C-suite positions at technology companies throughout my career, most often in Chief Technology Officer roles. I’ve had the opportunity to work with colleagues and mentors who have believed in me, practiced open-door policies, and valued my insight. I’ve had allies who have always had my back: Bob Jopson, a mentor during my early career; Erich Ippen, my graduate advisor; and Eric Giler, who I’ve collaborated with on several ventures. Their support, coupled with my own competitive spirit and drive to solve problems, has been invaluable to my career.
Not everyone has these same forces working for them. That’s a huge part of why there are still gaps when it comes to women and other underrepresented groups in tech.
According to a 2018 Women in the Workplace study, only 20 to 25 percent of entry-level tech jobs are filled by women. At the executive level, the number is about the same: Just 22 percent of tech companies’ C-suite members are women. More recently, New York University published a study that revealed a dismally low number of women and minorities in the AI industry, which likely helps explain the bias perpetuated in new technologies such as facial and voice recognition.
Aside from the issues of bias and fairness, though, the perpetual underrepresentation of minorities and women in tech is just bad business. A 2018 study by McKinsey and Company revealed that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability.
So why have we not done a better job of making tech workspaces inclusive?
A core problem is that most opportunities in tech are offered to employees in whom managers and executives see themselves. That kind of perspective perpetuates the status quo, rewarding only those who come from certain backgrounds and ignoring excellence achieved along unbeaten paths.
Those of us who have benefited from extraordinary mentors know that their most important trait is their ability and willingness to advocate for someone with less power—or less access to power—than they have.
To bring more diverse perspectives to the tech community, we need to advance mentorship and inclusion efforts all along the tech pipeline, beginning in our education systems. At Wellesley, I’m the faculty advisor to the Society of Physics Students, a group of students who visit local schools and STEM expos with optical and electrical physics experiments in tow. Through Wellesley, I will also soon be participating in a program called POSSE that supports high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Wellesley College will welcome its third STEM POSSE from Houston in September.
But mentorship has to go beyond schools. Technology and startup executives have to make a concerted effort to coach the diverse group of employees already in their workplaces. Mentorship programs are a good place to start, but mentorship is most impactful when it happens organically. That’s when people share the unwritten rules of the workplace and help each other navigate sticky situations.
It’s impossible to mandate these organic mentorships, but managers can make them more likely by creating a culture that is inclusive, that solicits feedback from everyone, and that rewards employees who help advance others’ careers. Those of us who have benefited from extraordinary mentors know that their most important trait is their ability and willingness to advocate for someone with less power—or less access to power—than they have.
If Boston wants to maintain its position as a technology hub, we have to create welcoming, equal environments where everyone has the same opportunities to climb the ladder of success regardless of gender and race. When organizations have a diverse pool of people, new thoughts, insights, and ideas arise that may not have come from a homogenous workforce
We have the power to uplift the next generation of women and people from underrepresented groups in tech. When we all come together, we can (and will) change the tech industry culture and create a promising future for everyone who wants to be a part of it.
Katie Hall is a researcher, entrepreneur and teacher with a passion for invention and increasing women’s contributions to science. Currently, she’s the chief intellectual property officer at Ciprun Global and has held several other leadership roles over the course of her career, including CEO of Endeveo Corporation; chief intellectual property officer of Speedy Packets; chief strategy officer of Origin Wireless; CTO of WiTricity Corporation; founding partner of Wide Net Technologies and CTO of PhotonEx.
