4 ways higher ed can close the tech industry’s gender gap

Opinion

04 Mar 20246 mins

Diversity and InclusionEducation IndustryWomen in IT

While it’s acknowledged that diversity drives business innovation and creates a strong cultural foundation, the tech industry and higher education institutions fall short when it comes to supporting and channeling more women into tech fields.

In 2022, women represented 49% of the total employed adults in the US, but a mere 26% of roles in computing and technology, according to a State of the Tech report released last year by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), with significantly less representation by Black and Hispanic women. Despite efforts to address this gender gap, the ratio of women in technology positions has declined over the past 35 years, and roughly half of women drop out of IT by age 35.

What is even more disheartening is that while a healthy number of young girls and women enroll and thrive in early education STEM programs, this enthusiasm and drive seems to wane at the college and university levels, where women account for just 16% of those who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences.

The lack of women in an industry that is fundamentally reshaping our economy and our society puts everyone at a disadvantage. If we want this industry to develop solutions that are designed for people from a wide range of backgrounds, we need more women to participate in its development. The reasons this isn’t happening are many and varied, but there are a few common issues that higher education, in particular, is well-suited to address:

Gender bias: Traditional gender roles and cultural norms leave girls with less exposure to technology in their formative years, and unconscious bias can further reinforce these stereotypes throughout elementary and secondary school.

Lack of representation: Fewer women in technology means fewer opportunities for girls to envision themselves in that industry.

Male-dominated environments: Men outnumber women in technology classrooms and offices, a dynamic that often leaves women feeling marginalized.

Here are four ways colleges and universities can break down these barriers and help close the gender gap in technology.

Get involved earlyThe leaks in the tech pipeline start at the very beginning. Fewer young women plan to enter careers in STEM fields in their high school years, even when they do well in math and science, according to a 2020 Cornell University study.

“We do not need to boost young women’s math tests scores or confidence in their math ability as much as we need to entice more women to plan to enter science-related occupations,” the study’s authors wrote. Young women need to see STEM fields, in general, and technology, in particular, as viable career paths if we want to increase workforce diversity in those areas.

One way universities and colleges can help students expand their career trajectories is by partnering with local schools to offer STEM programming early — even before high school.

Some universities and colleges, including my own, have already taken steps in this direction, offering summer STEM academies and mentoring of elementary and high school students by STEM practitioners. This type of programming helps prepare students for college and careers in STEM fields.

We need to do it at a wider scale with students of all ages to fuel more interest in technology careers, as well as explore how we can further incentivize students, such as through technology competitions that award scholarships.

Recruit tech role modelsDiverse representation will spark a diversity of interest in technology. Young women need to see themselves in technology before pursuing a career in that field.

Universities and colleges can provide such role models by recruiting more female faculty members in technology disciplines and more female staff members to manage campus technology. Higher education must set an example for the diversity we want to see in industry within our own institutions, and, right now, we’re not measuring up.

Only 14% of tenure-track computer science faculty are women, according to the American Association of University Women, and a 2019 report from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources found women represent just 26% of the IT workforce in higher education.

We must prioritize closing the gender gap in our own ranks to help solve this problem on a wider scale.

Build inclusive tech programsThe obstacles don’t end for women once they have chosen to major in a technical field. Women drop out of technology classes at a rate of 37%, compared to 30% for other programs, according to the 2020 study by Accenture and Girls Who Code. So, how can colleges and universities help women thrive when they do opt to major in technology?

We need to rethink our programs so they are more welcoming to women. The American Association of University Women highlighted a small liberal arts college in California that increased the percentage of women graduating from its computing program to about 40%, up from 12%, in just five years. How? By revising the introductory computing course, providing more research opportunities, and bringing female students to a conference focused on women in computing. We need to follow that example.

Promote tech meritsTechnology has revolutionized the way we live our lives, and it will continue to have an outsized impact on society, particularly as we contend with enormous challenges like the climate crisis and income inequality. We are just beginning to explore how artificial intelligence and other technologies can help us tackle such problems, and we must engage and empower students to be part of these solutions.

Universities and colleges can start by promoting research happening within our own institutions that’s driving change, and, when possible, inviting young people to participate in that research.

Technology will shape our future, and how that technology is built and operates will be a direct reflection of the people who created it. As Microsoft researcher Kate Crawford recently wrote: “inclusivity matters — from who designs it to who sits on the company boards and which ethical perspectives are included.”

Solving the gender diversity problem in the tech industry, or at least reversing the decline, will take time. As a first step, colleges and universities can develop support structures and training programs that propel more young women to pursue technology majors, complete their degrees, and ultimately pursue a career path in their field of study. Following that, companies must go beyond the DEI rhetoric and establish programs that continue support through coaching, mentoring, and cultural community.

If we want to truly harness technology for the greater good of all, we must open our doors to invite more people, particularly more women, to participate in its development. If colleges and universities implement the steps above to welcome more women into our institutions in pursuit of technology degrees, and then support them throughout their educational journey, we can begin to effectively close the gender gap in technology to build a stronger, more innovative, and more diverse industry.

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