Gender Diversity in Tech Companies, Still a Long Road Ahead

Gender diversity is an issue that companies have been working on for a long time. However, very little has been achieved and there is still a long way to go to reach an equal inclusion of women and people of color, revealed a Google report.

The percentage of black people hires in the US increased from 4.8 percent in 2018 to 5.5 percent in 2019, while the percentage of hires in technical roles also grew by 7 percent, the largest increase in the share of black technical hires since Google first started publishing diversity data,” says a publication by Forbes. Meanwhile, Latin American employees hires dropped from 6.8 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent in 2019. Regarding female employees, hiring dropped from 33.2 percent of global hires in 2018 to 32.5 percent in 2019.

But the facts seem to show something different within Google. In mid-May, Google employees and former employees said that the company has cut or completely cut its diversity and inclusion initiatives to avoid any backlash from conservative groups, according to a report published by NBC News. According to employees, the reason behind the cut of these programs, such as Sojourn focused on promoting social justice, is to protect the company from a negative reaction by conservatives. "(Google) does not want to open the door to possible lawsuits or claims by white right-wing employees on the grounds that Google discriminates against them," a Google employee said in anonymity in an NBC News interview.

“It is not just women that benefit from having more women in the industry. It is our world, our economy and our innovation because we have a global shortage of technologists and women are a massively untapped resource,” said Founder and CEO of Code Like a Girl Ally Watson at the Skillsoft’s Perspectives 2020 event. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlights that closing the gender gap in Latin America can increase GDP by 35 percent.

Mexico Still Has a Long Road Ahead

Among the 50 companies with the best jobs in Mexico, AT&T, Bimbo and Scotiabank stand out in the top three places, due to the diversity and inclusion strategies they have implemented, according to the ranking revealed last February by ‘Mejores Empleos’ magazine. However, Minister of Labor and Development at Employment of Mexico City Soledad Aragón said that the gender gap is still a problem affecting the country. Currently, male labor participation rate is at 74.9 percent, while female participation is at 51.5 percent in Mexico City, she pointed out.

"The typical role of women has expanded upon joining the world of work. However, this incorporation has been (and continues to be) inequitable and unfair. Situations as basic as the wage gap demonstrate this. In addition, women are faced with job demands similar to men's but still do not see men's co-responsibility in home and childcare responsibilities," wrote Tatiana Escribano, Partner at Baker McKenzie, in a column for Forbes Mexico.