The Ascend Foundation has released a new report examining the leadership pipeline at Bay Area tech companies and the findings are beyond depressing.
Analyzing U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data from 2007 to 2015, the Ascend Foundation report uncovers a number of cold hard truths.
The research shows minority professionals were much less likely than their white peers to become executives.
Even worse, the percentage share of black women in tech decreased by 13% between 2007 and 2015, despite initiatives aimed at hiring diverse talent in tech.
In direct comparison, the number of black men in tech increased by 14% in the same period. Overall however, across both genders the number of black managers in tech declined.
The Ascend Foundation report authors, Buck Gee and Denise Peck, assert past efforts to attract and retain minority talent have clearly failed. The data shows the tech sector is failing to retain black women in particular and simultaneously failing to develop and promote leaders from underrepresented groups.
The data shows although minority women face both racial and gender gaps, race was the increasingly dominant factor limiting minority women from reaching executive levels.
In the face of comprehensive criticism, tech companies across Silicon Valley and beyond have made repeated public commitments to accelerate diversity and inclusion best practices. While the desire is there, it’s clear tech companies need to seriously raise their game if they are truly committed to retaining, developing and promoting black women.
Post by Octavia Goredema @OctaviaGoredema
Photography Credit: #WOCinTech Chat
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