There are many benefits of diversity, but it’s less likely to be found in a company than you might expect. Diversity and inclusion is certainly a hot topic at the moment, so why is equal representation still proving so difficult to achieve? We wanted to look into the business case for diversity and tried to uncover why the workplace still isn’t becoming more diverse.

What is diversity in the workplace?

In simple terms, diversity in business means hiring a varied and diverse workforce. This covers people of different ages, genders, social, educational, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

In reality, true diversity in the workplace runs much deeper than this. Companies should be diverse and inclusive, creating teams of varied individuals who have equal opportunities. But the truth is, the business world is biased and no matter how much technology you integrate into your business to overcome bias, ultimately major decisions are handled by human beings. Emotional, and frequently irrational, human beings. Wherever humans are involved in the business processes, there’s always scope for bias to creep in and deviate from rational decision making. 

So, is it possible to create true diversity in the workplace and reduce unconscious bias whilst we live in a biased world? And is it really technology that’s going to get us where we need to be?

Types of Bias

There are many types of bias, but they can usually be grouped into Emotional and Cognitive:

Emotional Bias

We make decisions based on our emotions, instead of logic. Emotional bias examples in business include:

• Bandwagon effect: We adopt ideas because others are, rather than analysing the information carefully. Dangerously commonplace in team meetings.
• Empathy gap: Thishappens when people in one state of mind fail to understand people in another state of mind. E.g. if you’re offended by something and you don’t understand why others aren’t.
• Hyperbolic discounting happens when people make decisions for a smaller reward sooner, rather than a greater reward later.
• Negativity bias is the tendency to put more emphasis on negative experiences rather than positive ones.
• Overconfidence is when some of us are too confident about our abilities, and this causes us to take greater risks in our daily lives.

Cognitive Bias

Where our biases result from incomplete information, or our inability to analyse the information available. Cognitive bias examples in business include:

• Confirmation bias: The classic one. We only listen to information that confirms our original theory, discounting new, conflicting, information.
• Conservatism bias: Where pre-existing data is deemed more valuable than new data.
• Anchoring bias: Using the first piece of information we hear usually affects our decision making.
• Recency bias: Future decisions are based on memorable, recent events, even if they are one-off events, because they are easier to remember.
• Frequency illusion: This occurs when a word, name, or thing you just learned about suddenly appears everywhere.

Any prejudice can have the potential to affect your business operations. Whether it involves future-planning, the day-to-day, or even the hiring process, nothing is immune. Whilst we assume a lot of these biases are subconscious, other far more serious biases – such as racism and sexism – are conscious, illegal, and widespread.

What are the 4 types of diversity?

The four types of diversity are internal, external, organisational, and world view. Exploring these will help us to understand what true diversity in business looks like. 

• Internal diversity types are born with an individual and are very difficult to change. For example, ethnicity, age, race, and gender.
• External diversity types refer to characteristics that a person is not born with, that can be influenced, changed, or developed by an individual. These may include appearance, education, and interests amongst other things.
• Organisational diversity refers to factors belonging to any particular workplace. A few examples are work location, job function, and union affiliation.
• World view covers the way life experiences affect an individual’s view of the world. Diverse world views may be political, historical, or based on cultural events.

Now we know what it means to have a truly diverse workforce, do we even know when we’re being biased? These stats illustrate the current state of diversity management and inclusion:

• Over 1/3 LGBT+ staff have hidden or disguised their sexuality at work because they were afraid of discrimination. 
• There are only five black CEOs on the Fortune 500 2020 list —just 1%!
• According to the CIPD, 51% of HR professionals in the UK were found to be biased against overweight women – and were unaware that this was the case.
• Only 7% of the world’s languages are reflected in published online material, with English dominating at 50%.

This certainly highlights the business case for diversity and inclusion. Gender diversity, racial, and ethnic diversity are far from where they should be. But why is diversity important in business?

What is the importance of diversity in the workplace?

There are many benefits of diversity in business. When a company is truly diverse and inclusive, both employees and the business as a whole can benefit. Companies that employ more varied people automatically get the benefit of different perspectives. This increases creativity and productivity. Employee satisfaction increases and people perform better when employees feel included as individuals. 

The case for diversity doesn’t end there. Recent research conducted by HRWins found that nearly 60% of U.S. and U.K. employers surveyed believe there is a direct financial impact on the business when an organisation is competitive in inclusion and diversity. So true diversity is likely to have financial returns too.

Why the solution lies in the people who wield technology

The recently released Netflix’s documentary Coded Bias highlighted the many ways in which, while AI technologies are incredible tools that have improved our lives, they are as prone to bias as the people who create them. This is why a more inclusive workplace needs to begin at a human level, not simply with the implementation of new technologies. Shalini Kantayya, the film’s director, told New Scientist “I hope [Coded Bias] will be a kind of Inconvenient Truth of algorithmic justice, a film that explains the science and ethics around an issue of critical importance to the future of humanity.” 

So how can an algorithm have a bias? Because any algorithm has a human behind it who can unknowingly project their own unconscious bias. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted research across 189 algorithms developed by companies including Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba. 

The purpose of the research was to see how accurate facial recognition software was on average, and if there were common failings. The results were concerning, to say the least. 

NIST’s research found that across the board all of the facial recognition software they tested was far less accurate when identifying African-American faces and Asian faces compared to Caucasian faces. 

How did researchers test the algorithmic bias?

False Positives and Negatives

One way in which NIST tested the bias of algorithms was in one-to-one matching. This is where the facial recognition software tries to match photos to identify if it is the same person in both images. 

For example, one-to-one matching can be used in criminal proceedings to match a suspect recorded on camera with photographs of suspects.

Many of the algorithms tested falsely identified Asian and African-American faces 10 to 100 times more than Caucasian faces. African-American women were the most likely to be misidentified, overall. 

Congressman Bennie Thompson, chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland Security said “the administration must reassess its plans for facial recognition technology in light of these shocking results?”

Why is this important?

Facial recognition is increasingly common in our everyday lives. Many of us use facial recognition to log into our phones and computers, and airports have even begun to install facial recognition software so that you can guide yourself through customs.

As with any new technology, some flaws can be expected. For some time, facial recognition software has struggled with sunglasses and reading glasses. This is because the reflection from your glasses prevents the software from being able to get as many data points as it needs to build an accurate portrayal of your face. This might be an inconvenience but there are other ways to access your phone and researchers have continued to work on the problem. 

NIST’s research is more troubling because it highlights a systematic problem with facial recognition and race in software that is used in law enforcement. 

While some US states have banned facial recognition because it isn’t reliable enough, it is still being used in other states. Amazon, who sell the facial recognition software Rekognition to US police forces, declined to take part in NIST’s study. Previous research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had already reported that Amazon’s Rekognition struggled to identify women with darker skin, although Amazon denied the claim and called it misleading. 

This is an issue for the police force, who can’t work accurately because of non-inclusive technology, and the people it will impact. 

But why does technology still struggle with bias?

According to The Algorithmic Justice League, much of the problem lies in a lack of inclusivity at tech companies themselves. They report that “in the U.S, the teams designing all systems are not inclusive. Less than 20% of people in technology are women and less than 2% are people of colour.”

While there is no doubt that developers want to create cutting-edge technology that can best serve everyone, a lack of inclusivity within teams means there are only very specific viewpoints and life experiences being catered to. 

How does this lack of inclusivity in teams manifest?

The problem with a lack of inclusivity in technology isn’t just limited to facial recognition either. 

Motion detection soap dispensers have been found to be unable to recognise darker skin tones. This was of particular concern for an American-American guest of a sci-fi and fantasy convention. Fitzpatrick reported “I tried all the soap dispensers in that restroom, there were maybe 10, and none of them worked. Any time I went into that restroom, I had to have my friend get the soap for me.” This was a frustrating experience for Fitzpatrick, but imagine if he had been working in hospitality where the simple ability to wash your hand is essential and technology prevented him from being able to easily do so?

And voice recognition has repeatedly had a problem with understanding certain accents. One user reported that Alexa couldn’t understand her mother-in-law’s Nigerian accent. In fact, Alexa wouldn’t respond to any commands until her mother-in-law put on a stereotypical British accent. Even then, Alexa struggles with many regional English-speaking accents, specifically a regional Liverpool accent and in the wider UK, Alexa especially struggles with the Glasgow and Cardiff accent. Of the British accents Alexa does do incredibly well with, many are Southern cities where much of the UK’s technology companies reside. 

How does this technology bias impact the workplace?

Many of the examples we’ve discussed here discuss how technology can impact us on our personal level and for many, it may seem a case of simply waiting for the technology to improve. 

But, as many technologies become increasingly commonplace, they become necessary tools in the office. That means until the technology improves, it will hold back certain people unfairly. As shown in our infographic, Zoom is known for erasing black faces when it can’t find a pale face in the room. Try having an online business meeting when you can’t even get your face to show up on a video call. 

Twitter’s algorithm has also been found to default to white faces over non-white faces when cropping images. This makes it more difficult to be seen online if you don’t have the right skin colour. The ability to be found online is increasingly important in many industries and this is just one way social media makes it harder for some people to be recognised. 

Companies will also find themselves left behind if they cannot develop inclusive, accessible content as they’re limiting their own customer base. Companies that value diversity are proven to make more money.

How to promote diversity in the workplace

The benefits of diversity are clear, so how can we promote diversity in business?

• Bias blindspots: Seeing bias in others is easier to spot than in yourself. Make sure someone is assessing your bias regularly – and take regular tests. The Harvard Implicit Association Test is worth a try.
• Name-blind recruitment: This is already in place in the UK Civil Service, HSBC and the BBC.
• Better training of algorithms: In order to create less biased tech, we need to create algorithms that are trained with a full spectrum inclusion. That is, a more diverse data set.
• Get out of your comfort zone: Develop a working relationship with a counterpart who comes from a different background – it can only be a good thing for you and your business.
• Be more visible to your staff: Make your HR data more visible and easy to analyse. Not just for HR leaders or top executives but also for line managers who are increasingly being held accountable for performance.
• Keep improving yourself: There are a multitude of apps that can offer guidance on language and tone of voice, even providing “inclusion analytics” in real-time.
• Slow it down, smarten up: Use smart, or “slow thinking” to make decisions instead of making judgements on little to no data. 

How technology has made us more accessible

While we’ve focused on some of the dangers of technology here, it’s important to note the many ways that technology has already made the workplace more accessible. Much software has been designed to make computers accessible for those with visual impairments, making offices more navigable, user-friendly spaces. 

It’s about continuing this momentum and learning about the biases we may not be aware of that impact how accessible our workplace is to others.

It feels like catch-22 but it has to start with being better humans – knowing, owning, and correcting our collective biases. In 2018 alone, more than $4 billion was invested in the HR technology sector, yet relying on technology alone will not solve the issue of bias in the workplace.

Diversity is no longer an issue of compliance, it’s imperative to a modern, successful business. Open your channels of communication from the very top so your team learns how to give and receive feedback. Remember that real diversity and inclusion is about fostering an environment where all employees feel heard and appreciated.

From our staff whose passion in the movement has been unwavering, to the external contributors who’ve provided us with honest, stimulating insight into their own experiences — we recognise that these conversations are never easy, and we’re grateful for all those who’ve lent their voice to the conversation.

For us, Diversity Month was something we’d lined up to coincide with Global Diversity Awareness Month in October, but after the significant momentum generated by the Black Lives Matter movement, we had to shift our priorities.

Because it’s so important that we keep the momentum going. We really can’t let this movement turn into a moment.

And so far it hasn’t, but how often does a name like George Floyd get forgotten about 5 years down the line?

In our message last month, we said we wanted to do more than post a black square on social media; we want to help make a real difference. That’s why we promised what we did, and that’s why we’re acting upon that promise and will continue to update you on its progress over the coming weeks, months and years. We’re currently in contact with Communities Inc discussing how we can make long-lasting changes.

Equality matters immensely to us, both on a personal and professional level. Our industry has long been seen as a closed gate for a number of minority groups, and some of the negative, parochial responses we’ve had to Diversity Month are clear evidence of that. That has to change. And that change has to come through education and from listening to the voices of the unheard.

That’s why, although we wanted to vocalise our support, it’s the other articles we’ve seen across Diversity Month which you should endeavour to read. What you want to see from us is not words but real results and real change.

And that’s what we’ll continue to strive for at Adzooma.

In 2017, Inc. told us of 30 inspiring women who were leaving their mark on the world of marketing and technology. In 2018, Forbes identified three generations of forward-thinking technologists leading more than a dozen tech sectors across the globe.

Last year, the Adzooma team watched as Purna Virji, Sr. Manager, Global Engagement at Microsoft, won the title of the US 2019-2020 Search Personality of the Year. The award commended her excellence across the entire industry, honouring the greatness that is known to shine through her work.

Hundreds of other female marketing leaders have also taught us, inspired us and paved our way for success in the industry – and like Purna, gave us the confidence to strive for more than has been made to seem possible.

Female excellence that has radiated through the industry

As we continue to cast a spotlight on indisputable white privilege, our list of female marketing leaders doesn’t discriminate and reflects the best talents of the industry regardless of race. We have also echoed all areas of marketing, from business development and leadership to global innovation.

Here are 10 of the most influential women of 2020.

1. Mina Seetharaman – EVP, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer at The Economist Group

Twitter: @minaseeth

Prior to joining The Economist Group, Mina was co-founder and Executive Director for OglivyOne’s Advanced Content Marketing and Video Practices, first responsible for approximately $20m in digital execution work.

She then moved on to become the Global Director, Content Strategy, Global Integrated Content Solutions at The Economist, working her way up to make global change.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, she is also The Economist Group’s representative to the UN Women GICC and on the advisory council for the Digital Marketing Institute.

Mina’s clients have included Citigroup, Microsoft, Barclays, HSBC, GE, Van Cleef & Arpels, Prada, American Express, and more.

2. Olga Andrienko – Head of Global Marketing at SEMrush

Twitter: @Olgandrienko

It’s safe to say Olga is a force to be reckoned with in digital marketing. She has launched the SEMrush brand in more than 50 markets with 90% YoY growth and won 9 awards for the company as the best search software in USA, UK, Europe, and MENA.

In addition, she is currently responsible for all of the brands marketing and top of the funnel activities in North America, Europe, APAC and LATAM, and has 16 years of collective experience in brand management, demand generation, and leading and growing a SaaS / B2B marketing team.

In fact, she’s known to have built one of the strongest international communities in the online marketing industry.

3. Purna Virji – Sr. Manager, Global Engagement at Microsoft

Twitter: @purnavirji

Named by PPC Hero in 2016 as the #1 most influential PPC Expert in the world, Purna Virji is known for being a highly respected and award-winning digital marketer.

She is a regular keynote speaker at conferences across the globe, including AdWeek, The Next Web Conference, and INBOUND, and is also a columnist for Search Engine Land and Moz.

In addition, Purna is known for her work as an award-winning former journalist and making powerful advances as the CEO of Purview Marketing. And we named her as one of our top Google Ads and Microsoft Ads experts of 2020.

4. Lisiane Ndong – Client Success Manager UK, FR & Nordics at Searchmetrics

Twitter: @lisianendong

Entrepreneur and digital marketing specialist, Lisiane Ndong is the current Client Success Manager UK, FR & Nordics at Searchmetrics, the leading global enterprise platform in SEO analytics and content marketing.

She previously worked at The Insiders and was responsible for managing local and global Influencer Marketing campaigns for FMCG and Consumer Electronics companies (Samsung, Nestle, Panasonic), before moving on to pursue her outstanding career in content marketing, social media, and search.

5. Tyrona (Ty) Heath – Global Lead, B2B Institute at LinkedIn

Twitter: @tyrona

Working her way up from a Custom Media Solutions Strategist at Google to becoming the Founder of Spectacle Marketer, and now LinkedIn’s B2B Institute Global Lead, Tyrona is consistently promoting excellence across the digital marketing sphere.

She has an MBA in Marketing and Management and an International Economics degree, both of which have led her to become a phenomenal influence in the industry today.

Even more than that, she is a contributing author in the recently published book “The Professional Black Woman” and author of “Marketer’s of Tomorrow: A Step by Step Toolkit for Inbound Marketing”.

6. Charlotte Williams – Founder of SevenSix Agency

Twitter: @thestylum

Starting with her blog in 2010, Charlotte Williams is now the founder of SevenSix Agency, a social media and influencer marketing agency based on diversity and inclusion. Before its launch in March 2019, Charlotte worked as a freelance marketing consultant and Marketing Manager for WAH London.

She was also the Marketing Manager at Sanrio Global Limited and the Global Marketing Manager for Hello Kitty, responsible for events and influencer outreach, digital marketing and social media, campaigns for the 18-30 market, and more. She is also the co-host of The Sustainability Influenced podcast.

7. Miracle Inameti-Archibong – Head of SEO at Erudite Agency

Twitter: @mira_inam

As the Head of SEO at Erudite, Miracle has more than a decade’s worth of experience supporting small, national and global brands with technical SEO and data strategy. She was previously an SEO Account Manager at marketing and advertising firm Steak, and before that a Senior SEO Account Executive at 360i.

Miracle recently spoke at Digital Gaggle on whether or not progressive web apps are the future of the web, and has also spoken at brightonSEO, SearchLove, and InOrbit20.

8. Margaret Molloy – Global CMO & Head of New Development at Siegel+Gale

Twitter: @MargaretMolloy

Along with a 20-year track record of marketing excellence, Margaret was named The Drum’s B2B Marketer of the Year in 2017 and recently won an award for the 2020 Top 100 Marketer OnCon Icon.

She is currently responsible for setting Siegel+Gale’s growth strategy and orchestrating its execution, overseeing all new business and marketing including demand generation, content marketing, thought leadership, public relations, social media, and new business sales pitches.

Highlighting her excellence further is the fact that she also directs the firm’s flagship study, The Global Brand Simplicity Index.

9. Maryam Banikarim – Head of Marketing at Nextdoor

Twitter: @MaryamBanikarim

Known as the former CMO of Hyatt Hotels, Maryam Banikarim recently joined the social networking service Nextdoor to lead their marketing and managing their communications and policy teams.

Giving a statement about her hire, Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar said:

“Maryam is an incredible leader with a strong track record of results in building integrated teams, elevating global brands, and driving growth.”

In addition, just part of Maryam’s expertise includes sitting on the board of One Spa World, being a member of the Samsung Retail Advisory Board, and being the Board Chair for Reporters without Borders US.

10. Kay Hsu – Head of Creative and Design, Partnerships Marketing at Facebook

Twitter: @KayHsu

Last but certainly not least, Kay is an award-winning strategic marketer with experience in product development, creative, brand, communications and digital planning. She was previously the Global Director for Instagram Creative Shop, and is recognised for the brand relaunch of Seamless.com, as well as for the Sony Xperia Creators Program, both of which allowed her to gain industry-wide recognition.

Her current role at Facebook involves leading a “passionate, diverse design & creative team, across a variety of product categories outside of sales: Media, Audience Network, Gaming+”.

To lead, thrive and prosper

The women mentioned above are truly excellent in their craft, giving upcoming and diverse women the influence they need to succeed.

Who inspires you to become a better digital marketer? Let us know on Twitter or read more about Diversity Month on the Adzooma blog.

Here’s a list of what you could be doing to make others uncomfortable in your workplace, voiced by those who have experienced it first hand.

1. Don’t make ‘jokes’

“In SEO in particular, there seems to be a general acceptance of making jokes which are very near the cuff, often about race or sexuality. I myself have seen people making jokes or disparaging comments, especially about Indian people on SEO groups or disparaging comments, and everybody joining in. It’s one thing to talk about your experience with workers from overseas, but there does need to be a line drawn about what is acceptable to say.

“Speaking about the issue with peers in the industry hasn’t always been received well. I was told by some that “it’s in my head” and even to “stop thinking you’re at a disadvantage”. But speaking to other people of colour, they do think there is a major issue. It’s not overt, and it’s not always ‘in your face racism’, but there is a clear diversity issue in marketing.”

Amit Raj, Amit Digital Marketing

Racist language has no place in the workplace, or anywhere else in this world. ‘Joking’ about something doesn’t take away its meaning and make it okay to say. You may not even realise what you’re saying is racist; it’s important to be self-aware and recognise the effects your words have on others around you.

It’s important to call people out on their racist language, whether it affects us directly or not. If you’re the only person in the room offended, it can be hard to speak out. The tech industry is a place which strives for a better future every day – wouldn’t it be nice if we could extend this mentality to our working environments and make them a hate-free space?

2. Judge talent, not skin colour

“While the field allows for the creative freedom I long for, it can be quite difficult standing out when you’re often in a room with people that don’t look like you. As frustrating as it can be at times, I also don’t find it fair that I have to work twice as hard and be held accountable more than my counterparts.”

Nilaja Croft, Leda Health Company

Diverse people commonly feel overlooked and that their performance is overshadowed by their race. This industry, and all others, is hindering its own success by choosing appearance over talent. Minorities are aware of this bias and it makes them feel undervalued; whether you’re female in a male-dominated world, part of the LGBTQ+ community or from a minority background, you’re punished for your differences.

It’s not okay for the world to have an arbitrary set of rules which make up an ‘ideal’ – this is not Hitler’s Aryan race.

3. Don’t pretend there isn’t an issue

“You would have to be naïve if you don’t understand how deeply racism is rooted in every part of our world and it’s working. To think that it does not exist or it’s not a big issue is very ignorant behaviour. I come from a travelling and marketing background and this industry is also no different from racism and its ill-effects.”

Jennifer, Editor at Etia.com

If your workplace is a happy place for you – great. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone and your experience may be positive down to the way you look.

Racism is all around and if you’re unable to see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there, but rather you’re privileged enough that it’s not affected you. By working together, we can bring awareness to the lack of diverse representation in tech.

4. Embrace the differences

“Throughout my 10-year career working in MarComm and transitioning as a technical product manager, I’m used to being the minority in the room – the only Latina, the only female and the youngest.

“In many ways it’s what set me apart from everyone else in the room who may have been raised listening to certain music, watching certain classic movies that I didn’t grow up watching. Subtle things like that made it difficult to connect with colleagues on a personal level.”

Nicole Caba, Founder & CEO of Avvinue

Not everyone has the same point of reference. Just like we didn’t all grow up watching the same TV shows, around the same friends or at the same schools, different cultures have different home lives. We are shaped by the way we are raised. It’s common that anything different to our own experiences feels alien, but that doesn’t mean they should make us uncomfortable.

The best ideas come from different POVs – diversity in the workplace strengthens our ideas.

5. Deliver on promises

“After recent BLM protests gained traction, many VCs started putting out public statements of support for Black entrepreneurs. Several posted their desire to help improve the abysmally low numbers of Black founders that receive funding.

So, Nerissa reached out with her professional pitch deck to every VC she could find who made these promises. What she discovered is that, not only was it nearly impossible to even find contact info for these VCs but after reaching out to them she didn’t receive a single response UNTIL she began sending the exact same emails from her light-skinned Asian husband Jame’s accounts.”

Nerissa Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of The Bright App

Sadly, this is a really common thing to happen. There’s loads of stories of people changing their names to sound whiter. The fact that this makes a difference is sickening. We shouldn’t judge someone based on their name; job applications should all be judged as if the names read ‘anonymous’.

If your company makes a promise, like an announcement on social media to improve diversity in your workplace, they should stick to it. For example, big tech firms have previously promised to hire more minorities but have yet to deliver. Statements like these are hollow words until any results are seen.

Adzooma’s promise

We encourage people to keep us accountable. The motivation behind Diversity Month on the blog has been to continue the conversation. The BLM movement has been a great way to draw attention to the wrongs that plague our society, but we still have a long way to go.

As a company, we’re putting in diversity training and workshops for our staff and plan to deliver workshops to schools within the Nottingham area too. We’re also appointing a company officer who’ll provide us with advice and hold us accountable for our actions.

Let’s listen to the voices of the people we’re excluding and fight for change within our industry.

Armed with a list of questions, our Head of Content, Tom Mortimer, hosted two video calls where we got into the nitty-gritty of people’s opinions. We’ve typed up the highlights for you to read – here’s what some of the Adzooma team have to say surrounding diversity.

The participants

Do you think the tech industry welcomes diverse people and do you personally feel welcome?

Luke: Personally, I do feel welcome and haven’t experienced any significant racism. However, a lot of family and friends tell me stories about microaggressions which have escalated, and then to hear that HR hasn’t taken it seriously is concerning.

I feel like these stories make me wait for it to happen to me. For racism to not be seen as a problem, or worse as ‘my problem’ is wrong. And I feel like racists are becoming emboldened by the recent Black Lives Matter movement to say things to test the waters – I’m worried it’s going to get worse.

Tom: You definitely get a sense of big tech’s transparency reports being used as shields to hide behind. It doesn’t look like they’re actually trying to address the problems.

Luke: The numbers on black women in tech, for example, aren’t improving at the rates they say and there’s no reason why this is the case.

What does equality in the workplace look like to you?

Jas: Growing up as an Indian, call centre jobs are always an underlying joke. That was assumed to be the only tech industry job you’d get. At the call centres I have worked at, I noticed a lot of segregation: Asians in one group, white males in the other.

Personally, I’m not bothered about the number of different races in the room, it’s down to the attitudes of your colleagues. I’d be interested to know why diversity seems so hard to achieve. Are minorities not applying?

Sal: Equality for me is rating someone based on their performance rather than because of how they look.

A talk I went to included a story about how an interviewer “knew just by looking at him when he walked into the room that he was our guy”; needless to say, the man was over 6 foot, attractive and white – how has this become the benchmark?

Simba: Appearances shouldn’t matter at all, but we all know they do. For a job interview I had at a football club, I concentrated mostly on how I looked. I knew I had to change my appearance to land the job; I hadn’t cut my hair in three years. So, I got a new suit and shaved it all off. I got the job, but I know I wouldn’t have had I not changed how I looked.

Sal: Jess Glynne recently divided the internet when she denied entry to a top London restaurant because of what she was wearing. I think what’s important in this topic is why we ever thought dress codes were a good idea. It shows you how everything is entangled in class and hierarchy. Who established what was ‘proper’ anyway?

My life shouldn’t be driven by someone else’s narrative – if I want to wear my Nigerian kaftan to work, I should be able to. If I want to wear a skirt and heels, that should be okay too. We shouldn’t have to worry about anything other than our performance.

Do you feel like the companies you’ve worked for have addressed diversity/offered education?

Jas: Definitely not, there’s never been any training or anything. It’s always just shoved in the terms and conditions. It’s a touchy subject so I get that people feel uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. It’s never actively been pursued in any of my roles.

What do you think the impact of tech being dominated by white men is?

Nina: You can’t talk about white dominance in the tech industry without talking about society as a whole. I play football and even from a young age I was very aware of how male-dominated the game is, and so I’ve always been able to identify with how the patriarchy has not created a place for women.

As Adzooma’s only female developer, it is hard being the only female on the team. No one looks like you, no one can identify with you and that plays into imposter syndrome.

Tom: Do you feel like you have to become more masculine in your behaviours to fit in?

Nina: When you’re around guys and their banter, you hear misogyny and you don’t want to raise your voice and talk about it because you’re the minority. People might not have your back and you’ll be judged for that. You don’t want to interrupt their man cave. But at the same time what they’re saying is wrong.

Tom: If we had more diverse workplaces, you get more backup, you get more education if there’s a diverse group of people. If someones naive enough to not know what they’re saying is wrong, and there are more females in the group, you’d have the confidence to call it out and education could take place.

Nina: It’s about being exposed to different cultures and backgrounds – it wouldn’t take place if it was the norm.

Sophie: Whenever I have spoken up with ideas and they’ve got brushed off, I sometimes feel it’s because of who’s said it – if a senior male had put the idea forward it would have held more weight.

My job role gets stereotyped as very masculine; at my last job, I was the only girl in the team and I was there for 2 half years. You notice it at events too, PPC talks are typically held by men.

What has your experience been like at other companies?

Luke: I worked for an energy company where there was a mix of backgrounds at the lower levels, but then as you got higher up there was less racial diversity. Top jobs are always white; diversity is always at the bottom.

In regards to dealing with racism, I found by calling people out they would shut up and learn not to do it to me. I’m very vigilant to people’s body language and reactions. A lot of things people implicitly do manifest into microaggressions so it’s important to be aware to protect yourself.

Sal: My experiences have been pleasant but solitary. I’ve always been aware I’m a token gesture. For example, at O2, there was 17,000 applicants for its graduate scheme with just 50 selected. I was the only black person.

I’ve always experienced subtle microaggressions. I remember being in a Technical Engineering space, wandering around looking for someone. People would ask to see my badge despite the security on the door. They’d ask “who are you?” and single me out, just because you don’t see any black engineers, so I must be up to no good. It’s as though because you’re one of a few, others have a right to stop you.

Do you think your colleagues are aware of the struggles you face?

Jas: 100% not. You’ve never experienced it so you can’t really imagine. This applies to situations I’ve never been in. The only way I could see them experiencing it is if they went abroad and were a minority there.

Nina: They’re not a 25-year-old woman, so they won’t. But at the same time, I have had conversations with others who have been encouraging. POC and I can share in our experiences of being a minority in our industry.

I think it’s hard to talk about because you feel alienated. It’s just me, feeling isolated, and so it comes down to a sense of worth and how you don’t always feel valued. It’s the subtle undertones of growing up different and how they play a part in your adult life. That’s hard to vocalise and be open about because I’ve always been told to stay silent.

Simba: We like to play music in the office and some of the songs that got played would make me feel uncomfortable – N-word music, grime, gangster rap. I found out these things got added the day before I joined “to make me feel comfortable”. I complained and got told that’s just how it was. It was a relief to move to an office where we couldn’t listen to music.

I’ve realised I can’t talk to some people about racism because they talk about it in a negative way and it makes me feel awkward.

Do you think we need unconscious bias training?

Sal: From my experience, it doesn’t work. An easier way to solve things is to have more representation – it’s easy to dismiss one person. We also need to start understanding the severity of our actions. People wouldn’t do it if it was dealt with properly. Sexual assault in the workplace reduced dramatically through creating an environment where there was 0 tolerance.

Simba: We should teach people to put themselves in other’s shoes. The whole topic is tricky because whilst there’s comfort in talking to someone about it, I don’t want to put my job or potential promotions at risk. Reputation is important and you often find no one can empathise anyway.

What do you think needs addressing in tech right now?

Luke: Improvement is needed in all areas. People who say racist things need to be called out and understand why it’s wrong. HR and management need a 0 tolerance approach rather than vague investigations that go nowhere. Recruitment biases need to be addressed and not masked. Career progression shouldn’t be a linear ladder system that hampers people of colour.

Sophie: If I see an opportunity for things to improve, I say so. But in the past, this has been seen as negative and me having a ‘troublemaking attitude’. My male counterparts were doing the same, and it was labelled as being proactive, but for me, it was seen as causing trouble.

I got called “too emotional” by a director. They said they didn’t know if I would be a good manager going forward because it may rub off on someone else – like it was a germ. That wouldn’t have been said to a man, they would have been congratulated on their passion.

Have you ever experienced anything that’s surprised you about diversity?

Sophie: You’d expect women to help other women – but that’s not always the case. My experiences have shown me that some females want to be known as “the woman in the industry” and so don’t want to help others succeed. It’s like they’re afraid of losing their USP.

Sal: It’s called ‘greasing the pole’ – they see other women as a threat.

Simba: You see it with other black people too. You can be friends with someone but they suddenly become ‘anti-me’ because they’re looking after their work image.

Sal: It can be as though there’s only enough room for one token black guy. And so they get the mentality of ‘well I’d rather it be me than you’. Even with women, women will backstab other women.

How do you think the tech industry or any industry can do better?

Jas: Naturally bring in more races and provide an opportunity for a new normal. Alienate bigots. We need to address society first. We need to encourage people to apply.

Simba: We need to stop systematic racism. It frustrates me that there’s ‘black versions’ of white success. Granville Woods, an inventor, is referred to as ‘Black Edison’ – why is Edison not referred to as ‘White Granville Woods’?

Sal: The question is how we address disadvantages in learning so people can achieve the grades they need to succeed. There needs to be more ground-level support. Silicon Valley is 20% Asian. STEM subjects geared towards Asians – that representation is there. We need to work harder on black representation.

Sophie: We need to put those who need mentoring together with those who can. Women in Tech have started a mentoring programme which is a good resource for those looking for guidance.

What do you want the future to look like?

Nina: The solution starts with people. The more we learn to celebrate what’s different rather than create a barrier for it, the better this world becomes. We have to be more introspective and check our privilege – I’m including myself here. Let’s extend our tables, share our knowledge and give a hand to those who don’t have the same privileges.

Simba: Within black families, working for a tech company doesn’t have worth. Being a doctor or lawyer is ‘success’. My Dad was pissed off that I went to a digital art school – “what do you think, you’re gonna be Dizzee Rascal?” – there’s a lack of understanding in some cultures.

Sal: Ultimately, if you are a kid growing up on a council estate with limited internet access, there needs to be more help and support to ensure the world helps you achieve what you want regardless of colour, gender and sexuality.

Their unique power comes from their position as both role models and marketing tools – they tell us what to do and buy, and we as viewers look up to them.

It’s for this reason that influencers are “viewed as more credible and accessible” even than celebrities, according to Stephanie Sebala. When having a social media following can make you the recognised face of an industry, we have to start asking questions about the faces we see, and how they reflect on the industry they work in.

“Techbros”

Tech is widely thought of as having a “bro culture” and thus an “image problem” that essentially ensures most of the faces we see in tech specifically are of cis, straight white men. This has led to 30% of LGBTQ+ young people saying they would not consider a career in STEM, out of fear of homophobia or transphobia.

A number of organisations have been working to address this; notably Lesbians Who Tech and StartOut. Lesbians Who Tech state that their mission is “to be more visible to each other” and “to be more visible to others”.

It’s very clear that visibility in the industry is vital to the wellbeing and success of the queer community, and to broadening the appeal of the industry to young queer people.

It’s no surprise though that with a dearth of queer workers in tech, the most popular influencers in tech are overwhelmingly (to our knowledge) cis and straight – Linus Tech Tips, Marques Brownlee, Unboxing Therapy, and many more.

None are publicly queer. All the while the faces of an industry look one certain way, the audience they appeal to will largely reflect that, and so will the people they inspire to follow in their footsteps.

So where are the queer influencers in tech?

Most influencers or ‘content creators’ use YouTube or Instagram as their primary platform; I found the most out, queer content creators on Tiktok or Twitter.

Tiktok seemed to be popular because it has a thriving young and queer community, while Twitter seemed popular with slightly older content creators, as a platform that allows back-and-forth discussion.

On YouTube I only came across a handful of queer creators with some link to tech:

• ASAP Science, a gay couple who make informative videos about science and technology; Jake Wright, a gay computer science student
• Big Clive who has 640K subscribers on “the trashiest electronic channel on YouTube”
• Popular gay vloggers Rose and Rosie on their ‘Let’s Play Games’ channel (their third YouTube channel, and started years after their success on their original channel which focuses on comedy and their relationship)

Of those, only the two couple’s channels are visibly queer. By contrast, on Tiktok I was able to more easily find young queer people talking about tech by searching relevant hashtags. Most of them make a mixture of content, usually either informative videos about the processes of their craft or comedic ones about being queer (in tech, or in general).

Fern (@queerbots), a “genderqueer robotics engineer” makes a series called ‘Lesbian Tech Skills 101’ which is a lighthearted but educational way of teaching useful skills to the audience, such as checking the air pressure in a tyre or sharpening a knife. They have also noted that Tiktok has “shadowbanned” their content for allegedly violating community guidelines.

Another user called Rey (@rey.nbows) makes Tiktoks about the “dark web” and is open about being queer, but receives comments from followers asking them to stay out of politics when they’ve spoken about Pride or the Black Lives Matter movement.

I spoke to Eleonora, a 21 year old physics and mathematics student “with a passion for coding and machine learning”. She’s @Elle.PY on Tiktok where she makes memes for other queer people in STEM, and says she hopes to be a role model:

“As a LGBTQ+ I’d like to show my ordinary life and inspire others to pursue the same career I did. I want people to watch my videos and think ‘if she can, so can I’.”

For her, finding a community of people she could relate to has been crucial to her continued enthusiasm for tech – she runs a Swedish Discord server for girls and non-binary people in tech, which she feels is the “safest” space she has, alongside her Tiktok community.

When I asked Eleonora what she thought about popular tech influencers, she felt they could do more. She suggested that they invite smaller LGBTQ+ creators onto their channels or platforms, and share resources that help “make LGBTQ+ youths feel welcome in STEM”.

The queer people in tech that I found on Twitter tended to be more vocal about their identity and about politics than Tiktok users, who tended more toward humour. I came across Lynn (@lynncyrin) and Tatiana (@TatianaTMac) who both note their queerness in their bios and speak openly about racial justice in most of their recent tweets.

Once I found them, it was easy to discover other queer techies who they followed, and then relevant community networks like Queer Code Scotland. It takes some digging, but the queer tech community (and people with reasonably large followings too) is there to be found; it’s just not as visible as typical influencers usually are.

“Stick to tech”

Part of the problem for queer influencers is the idea that their identities are inherently political. Popular tech influencers have largely stayed out of major political discussions, with a few key exceptions during the recent boom of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Linus Tech Tips tweeted several times about racism and announced a $20,000 donation to racial justice organisations. He has an audience of millions, so he has a powerful platform to advocate with; unsurprisingly, a number of replies to his tweets suggested that he ‘stick with tech’, ‘stick to computers’, ‘stay out’ and so on.

The comments he made we somewhat poorly worded encouragement of interracial dating, but the bulk of the outrage was about his choice to talk openly about race rather than the offence he caused with his clunky wording.

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee is one of few prominent black people in his area of YouTube, and he recently spoke to his audience of 11.6 million in a video called “Reflecting on the Color of My Skin”. He referred to instances of being told “stay in your lane, stick to tech” when wanting to be open about his experiences as a black person in a predominantly white industry.

In the video, Marques goes on to say that as much as he is “proud of it” – his success as a black man – that race could also get “weirdly in the way” and force him to question whether his success was legitimate or gained because of a need for diversity.

It’s not hard to imagine that queer people who succeed in tech face a similar dilemma – be open about how your identity has impacted your experience and risk losing subscribers for being too political? Or keep your queerness to yourself and appear ‘neutral’?

In the words of Bryan Hughes, a ‘queer techie’ interested in why queer people and tech might be at odds,

“Tech is never neutral. And the only way you can think that tech is neutral is if you live in a place of extreme privilege. Tech is a part of this world. It always has been. And it shapes this world in a way that no industry does in this day and age.”

The insistence on neutrality in tech silences queer people and BIPOC alike, under the misguided belief that it is possible to have a ‘neutral’ industry uninformed by the identities of the people working within it. This is just another barrier to queer people being visible and safe working in tech.

The forced invisibility of queer tech influencers

Queer influencers, both in tech and other industries, face the further challenges of forced invisibility and false visibility. Forced invisibility is caused by YouTube and Tiktok censoring queer content; influencers who speak about queer issues are punished by seeing their videos demonetised or even deleted, and on Tiktok becoming ‘shadowbanned’ for using words such as ‘bisexual’, ‘lgbtq’, and so on. False visibility is an idea highlighted by Bryan Hughes, mentioned in the previous paragraph – they argue that “rainbow capitalism” is at fault for making the tech industry appear more inclusive than it actually is.

“Rainbow capitalism” is a term that critiques the tokenistic use of queer people and queer imagery as a marketing technique. The problem is when an industry happily celebrates diverse images but still fails to hire and support queer people. Hughes claims “The tech industry is engaging in a queerspecific version of diversity theater by sponsoring events like the pride parade. They market to sell more products, and most are not doing anything to make the life better for queer people.”

If we take this as truth, then it would make sense that there are so few queer people in tech empowered enough to become a visible face of their industry; the conversations about diversity in tech may be more for show than they are truly impacting how inclusive the industry’s practices are.

There are even further reasons why queer people might not want the visibility that comes with being an influencer; Hughes talks about their experience of trying to make their industry more inclusive and how it is treated as an “extracurricular” activity, which resulted in them losing a promotion.

The pressures of queer intersectionality

There is a double burden on queer workers – as well as BIPOC (black and indigenous people of color) and women – to be activists as well as excel in their field, making it harder for them to succeed professionally. A straight, cis person – though they may face other disprivileges – probably doesn’t have to consider how their sexuality or gender identity could be a risk to their professional growth, or whether they need to dedicate time and energy to breaking down those barriers for themselves and others like them.

Then there’s the expectation that influencers should be role models – consider the push for Zoella to endorse Corbyn back in 2017 – is tough to bear when it ties so personally to an influencer’s identity. Any criticism they might then face for becoming an advocate is a criticism of their person.

In a paper on the perceptions of LGBTQ+ influencers, Sabala writes that LGBTQ+ people can “struggle to connect with the heterosexual audience” and that their “perceived credibility” impacts how “persuasive” they can be with their message.

Seeing as queer people are a minority, it’s possible that being openly queer could limit you to a smaller audience (though you could argue, a more genuine one). Being visible clearly poses a threat to reputation, and therefore to livelihood.

We know that homophobia and transphobia can be built into how social media platforms run, so being out can result in financial loss. LGBTQ+ YouTubers have spoken out repeatedly about how often they have found their videos demonetised. At its most extreme, undesired visibility can result in violence or loss of life.

In 2014, Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt was outed as a trans woman in an article on sports site Grantland about a new golf putter she had created. She was vocally against the article being made public, and killed herself before it was published on the site.

The article – which misgendered “Dr. V” throughout – was published despite her death. Though there was heated debate about the ethics of the article, no one involved in its publishing faced material consequences for their actions.

Capitalist queerphobia

There are plenty of queer people in tech who are ‘out’ to everyone in their lives and comfortable with their queer identity. But even without the fear of violence, there is still a prohibitive threat of the loss of money or reputation because homophobia and transphobia are still so ingrained within our society and our technology.

Perhaps ironically, cis het people do need us for their own financial gain; the Digital Marketing Institute explains that the gaming industry has proved that games sell better when people feel good about them: “By crafting a more inclusive, welcoming brand identity, you will attract more attention, and foster greater trust with people.”

What a shame it is that queer visibility can make money for those around us, and cost money for the queer people themselves.

Leanne Pittsford, founder of Lesbians Who Tech, said to a room of queer people in tech:

“You are all influencers”

Though they may not have the same budget or clout as the big tech influencers, there are young queer women on Tiktok who are coding and making memes about it; trans engineers on Twitter finding community spaces; gay couples on YouTube who are gaming and teaching us about science.

Perhaps they aren’t influencers in the traditional sense, but they’re having an impact on other queer people, on their own community, in small ways every day. That is more significant to young queer people surely, than seeing queer people in tech ads and sponsored videos.

These communities becoming slightly more accessible on social media is only going to help encourage more queer people into tech – the hidden problem that remains is how the tech industry treats those queer people when they get there.

As we look towards the future of tech and strive to make equality reign, it’s important to look back at those who have got us to where we are today.

The world is far from perfect, and racism and prejudice still prevail. But there have always been those working to make the technology industry a better place for all.

This infographic starts way back in 1815 with the world’s first programmer – a female. Ada Lovelace made her name working on the Analytical Engine, the world’s first computer, alongside Charles Babbage. She believed that anything that could be converted into numbers, such as music, language and images, and then be manipulated by computer algorithms – paving the way for where we are today.

Along the way, there have been many injustices, for example, Alan Turing the man responsible for cracking the Enigma Code.

In WWII, German messages were transmitted across radio waves. Anyone could hear them, but only those who knew the code could interpret them. It was a race to work it out and win the war. Adding further problems to the mix was the fact the code changed every 24 hours; only the fastest, finest brains could figure it out.

Turing created a machine which could be relied on to break the Engima Code every single day. It saved millions of lives. But, because he was homosexual, he was prosecuted and forced to have hormone therapy which led him to take his own life.

It’s important to look at what has happened before so we don’t make the same mistakes. Moreover, we should celebrate the achievements of the pioneers before us. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Infographic

Click the image to expand it.

We were playing outside on our bikes at the bottom of the road. A warm summer’s day. The sort that no-one wants to end as their mother tries to call them in for tea time.

All of a sudden my brother, one year my senior, comes rushing up behind us with… a haircut!

For most 13-year-old boys this is no big deal, but for us, this was a life-changing event.

See up until then, none of us had ever had a proper one before, despite my Dad’s best attempts. I’ll never forget the time I asked my Dad for a Nike tick and got a Sure for Men sign. In all honesty, I should have known better.

The closest I’d got was the chair of a local hairdresser who whipped out a pair of scissors to cut my afro hair, before my parents politely yanked me out of the seat.

This was 2003, when Google was really taking shape. My brother had searched ‘Black Hairdresser’ and a result popped up for the now legendary Jason Stocks barbershop in Preston, about 20 miles from our home in Lancaster. So to the better knowledge of my Mum, he grabbed his paper round money and got on a train alone for the first time.

We couldn’t believe the results. It was sharp, crisp and even came with the signature Raheem Sterling racing line pattern. We sat for the rest of the day as he detailed his day trip step by step.

My Dad arrived in the UK from Nigeria to complete his Economics PhD at the University of Lancaster, the city where we were born, raised and still regard as home.

Although I don’t think I could recommend a better place to grow up as a kid, there were times such as getting a haircut where you realised a sense of otherness.

I open with this example to explain how sometimes inconveniences are very hard to spot when they’re not directly experienced by you.

An invisible problem

Growing up, to all my white friends, my hair was cool and fine. But obviously we knew a different reality. This was often the case, especially when you do a good job ‘fitting in’.

I loved my secondary school and the friends I made there. But it was also one of the worst-performing schools in the county and not many knew the only reason I was there and not at the amazing Church of England school down the road from my home was that they didn’t admit Muslims for secondary school.

I loved my time at O2, but not many other than me stopped to think it was a little strange that I was the only Black person on a 50 person graduate scheme that had over 17,000 applicants.

I loved my time at Google, but again I was the only Black person in a team of 200, that also served Africa, was again strange to me.

Again, I’m not blaming any of these places. At each, I was surrounded by amazing, supportive people that let me bring my whole self to work. Each experience made me who I am today.

Rather, I’m hammering the point that we can all be oblivious to things that don’t impact us directly. Or, perhaps worse, you can assume the difficulty but are often way wide of the mark of actual severity.

In 2018, I tore my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and had to undergo knee surgery. Previously, I obviously understood that life for those that navigate London in a wheelchair was tough, but I didn’t realise how tough – and likely still don’t – until I was placed into a similar situation.

What the latest Black Lives Matter movement has done is highlight some of the difficulties that had until now remained buried, which is very important, because as they say – “a problem known is a problem half cured.”

Spending all of my career in tech, I think few would argue that we have a diversity problem, whether it’s with Black participation or gender diversity. But it would be lazy to simply point the finger at the hiring managers at big corporates.

The part of systemic racism most people don’t spend time engaging with is the systemic part. It means the system is fundamentally broken, which means if we want to see progress, we need to address all parts.

If it’s never brought to your attention that people with a regional accent are paid 20% less, that women will lose 17p or CVs with ethnic names have a 4X lower acceptance rate, you can trick yourself into believing it’s laziness or lack of skill that’s holding marginalised communities back.

What we can do

I hold dear that the best way to break down any structural and systemic injustice is to attack information asymmetries. This is when information is given or withheld to create a competitive advantage or disadvantage.

Think back to the old school after work drinking clubs, where all the men would go to the pub and talk shop, leaving the women out of the discussions and the ensuing promotions that come from those conversations.

Black people in the UK form 4% of the population but 40% of the poorest households. It’s very difficult to get an aspirational view of what you’d like to be in those environments, let alone be equipped with the information you need to set you on the path to get there.

Even with my own experience of having a highly educated father, who went on to become a world-leading economist, I hadn’t met a Dentist, Lawyer or Programmer until I went to university. Let alone know what a Venture Capital firm was.

Hopefully, this helps you see why simply attacking hirers in tech cannot be the answer. We need to close these information asymmetries.

If we want to fix the systemic in systemic racism, we must:

• Engage with all underprivileged and underrepresented communities at the grass level
• Guard ourselves from our subconscious biases
• Help create role models within our organisations

Equality is worth the wait.

For this reason alone, it’s our role and responsibility as women to become a part of this industry. We don’t want to be an addition, we want to be recognised as integral.

Just like YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki and Microsoft’s Amy Hood.

But, we are too underrepresented.

The sheer amount of women recognised in the technology industry, compared to men, is astounding. It’s no wonder fewer women are applying for tech-related jobs. Even at companies like Microsoft, female employees make up as little as 28% of the entire workforce.

Worse still, this isn’t a hidden fact. This year alone, The Guardian has asked why there are so few women in tech, Forbes has given 3 reasons why we need more women in tech, and HR Review said women don’t have enough information about the tech industry to begin with.

And that’s not all.

As I discuss throughout this article, women are made to feel less than, looked down upon, and sexualised by their male counterparts. All in the industry we are helping to boost every single day.

The ever-existing gender gap

Discrimination against women isn’t something to be found in a handful of offices. It’s a recurring act of distinction, exclusion and restriction that we have experienced for the past 40 years.

That’s 40 years of feeling ‘less than’.

40 years of feeling inferior, despite bearing children and making some of the most powerful equal rights movements in history. It’s an uphill battle for us in family life, in politics, and in the workplace.

We have to be dominant, courageous, and fearless to work in tech. If we live up to traditional female stereotypes, such as showing more emotion, we are taken even less seriously. We have to be more aggressive to be seen as capable, to compete with men who just have to be themselves.

PWC, a multinational professional network of firms, highlighted this gap in their 2017 research.

The findings showed:

• 3% of women say a career in technology is their first choice
• 78% of students can’t name a famous female working in technology
• 16% of women have had a career in technology suggested to them, compared to 33% of males
• 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women

As well as making it difficult for women to climb the ladder, it makes it near impossible for some businesses to recruit female candidates.

In one example, President and Digital Forensics expert Cindy Murphy, from Tetra Defense, said she’s been frustrated about the relatively small number of applications they receive from women.

She told us:

“And when those applications do come in and follow up calls and interviews happen, I find that women are more likely to undervalue their experience, education, and training, and tend to see job requirements as absolute rather than negotiable.

With COVID-19 upon us making hiring even more difficult, I think part of the answer here is that we should proactively seek out the women and minority candidates we want to see populating our workplaces and encourage them to apply when we find them.”

Gender discrimination day-in, day-out

Some might argue that you will meet unkind, insensitive and indifferent people wherever you work. After all, you can’t join a company and expect every single person to be nice to you.

But, the fact that many of these microaggressions are aimed at women is an undeniable, underlying problem. In the tech industry, it is even worse.

Women aren’t viewed as being analytical or data-driven. If you’re into coding, god forbid you are the only female Developer. How are you ever going to be taken seriously in a room full of higher-paid men who have overruled the industry forever?

Better yet, how are you going to give constructive criticism to your male work colleagues without them getting defensive and doing anything they can to convince you that their way is right?

It’s this problem that led Christine Wang, Owner of The Ski Girl, to leave the tech industry altogether:

“I did have experiences in which my authority was not respected or taken into consideration by my male peers. This was always frustrating, to say the least, and was an impetus for me wanting to leave the industry and create my own success. I was able to succeed in previous roles but I never felt as seen or heard in a male-dominated workplace as I do now.

Within the corporate environment, I felt that I was not able to take advantage of growth and opportunities to the same degree as my male counterparts. Now that I have had some success in founding my own business, I truly feel that my input and authority are seen due to my experience and professionalism and have nothing to do with being a woman. I did have to make drastic changes to achieve this in the world of tech.”

Looking at existing data, this is a core problem in thousands of workplaces.

A 2017 poll in the Pew Research Center report found that 50% of women said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, compared to only 19% of men. The numbers were even higher for women with a postgraduate degree (62%), working in computer-related jobs (74%), or in male-dominated workplaces (78%).

Breaking this down further, around 74% of women in jobs such as software development or data science say they have experienced discrimination at work. A mere 16% of men in these jobs feel the same.

Paired together, these disappointing truths could be the reason that only one in four startups have a female founder.

In meetings, in corridors, and online

Earlier this week, I was scrolling through Twitter when I came across this tweet. It was a response to a thread of tweets under a job advert seeking a female Fullstack Developer.

The first response I saw, from somebody called “Dev_Joe”, said this:

“We don’t compete with females for roles like Front Desk, HR, Sales, Marketers, etc. Why are you seeing it as if male dominating in IT has anything to do with men. It’s just that most women don’t like the stress of programming. Simple. Look for the best irrespective of sex.”

Honestly, I had to read it a few times.

He was annoyed that the job advert was seeking a female candidate because irrespectively, the best person for the job shouldn’t depend on sex. I get that. But he also suggested that women should stick to the jobs they are used to, leaving more technical jobs to men.

And, he was completely disregarding the fresh perspective a woman could bring to the table, particularly given the company is likely to have very few female employees.

Very confusing, sexist, and thoughtless, just like #Gamergate.

Known as the scandal that “never died”, #Gamergate was an online harassment campaign that fired threats at female gamers and creators. It happened over five years ago, but some people still believe ‘everything is Gamergate’.

When we spoke to Breanne Harrison Pollock, Co-founder of Ateyo, this was confirmed.

Breanne told us about the many difficulties she’s faced in the gaming industry in the last 3 years, and how working alongside another female Co-founder has made it even more of a challenge.

She stated:

• People assume women are dumb until we prove we are smart otherwise
• People assume women don’t play games or know about esports
• Women have to work harder and demand spots on panels, podcasts, publications

Discrimination lies beneath – even in the more entertaining side of tech.

Areej AbuAli, Founder of Women in Tech SEO, summed this up nicely for us:

“Representation Matters! Women need to see themselves represented in senior leadership teams, in boardrooms and in conference line-ups.

The more that we, as women, see ourselves represented, the more we’re going to have role models to look up to and the more inspired and encouraged we will feel to put ourselves out there in similar ways. But if we don’t see ourselves represented, then we’re less likely to want to put ourself out there.”

“Ah, he didn’t mean it like that. That’s just what he’s like”

Too often, we are faced with men in the workplace who are condescending and inappropriate towards women. But, so the company doesn’t have to deal with it, it is “just their personality”. It is completely overlooked.

And yes, I’m talking about comments that stick with you for the rest of your life.

For Jarry Lee, Social Media Marketing Consultant and Content Creator, one incident is easy to remember. A supervisor chastised her for changing into workout gear in the office bathroom, in a private stall, after working hours, on her way out of the office.

The circumstances would have been completely different for a man.

She explained:

“The clothing was not inappropriate and the company didn’t have any kind of dress code – people wore sweats all the time, for example – so I felt singled out.

The supervisor threatened to file a report to HR, and it made me feel demeaned and sexualized. I wore the outfit for maybe 5-10 minutes (between changing in the bathroom and picking up my bag from my desk before leaving), so the threat seemed particularly ridiculous and unnecessary.”

The worst thing is, these encounters aren’t always with people who are known for being sexist or the arrogant, alpha-male type. It can be people who you think are your friends – or even worse, managers.

Kimberly Porter, CEO, Credit Summit, told us that experiencing comments that would not be used towards men was common across various industries.

She told us:

“In the southern U.S. especially, older men and even some women would refer to me as “honey” or “sweetheart” which is condescending and extremely inappropriate in the workplace.

Some would use the excuse that it is just how they talk, but in a place of work, people just have to get a better handle on how they speak to coworkers and managers.”

A man’s world

Luckily, some women rise above the discrimination in this industry.

A perfect example, and somebody we’ve spoken to recently, is the CEO of Mailbird, Andrea Loubier.

She said:

“Being a woman in the tech world shows just how innovation works. The industry is well-known for its numerous male entrepreneurs, but establishing myself as a true contender shows just how quickly things can change. In the beginning, when I was fundraising, I felt as if I needed to go the extra step to showcase my product and to illustrate that this was more than a side hustle or an impulse startup.

I was in it for the long haul and, as I began to make my rounds with meetings and calls, I slowly began to realize that I was actually being judged for my merits, and not whether I was male or female. That was a hurdle that I needed to overcome – for myself. And now I find that I thoroughly enjoy offering an email client to thousands of customers. And I am proud to be a successful female entrepreneur in the tech industry.”

Mailbird now has over 2,000,000 users, and a 4.7/5 rating from 409 Facebook reviews.

A similar perspective was echoed by our very own Business Analyst at Adzooma, Mitali Mahesh, who told us:

“My experience as being a “Woman in tech” has been fairly positive, and I always enjoy pursuing my career in technology. Even in college and university having 2 to 3 women in class, there was a running joke regarding the lack of women in tech courses, but I have never experienced any form of discrimination.

It’s a fact that women have faced discrimination in workplaces, but luckily the winds are turning and there are huge of networks of support on the internet that are promoting other women in tech. Of all the companies I’ve worked for, I have always been praised and motivated to work in a team and was given equal opportunities as Men.”

If you do want to pursue a career in tech, rest assured there are women who have changed this industry. Forbes even dedicates an entire article to powerful and influential women in tech each year – beyond experts from Facebook and Microsoft.

How you take this information is up to you.

In one sense, our wins shouldn’t be celebrated as if they are unusual. But in another, at least we are being recognised inclusive of our male counterparts. It seems we have to take what we can get.

Making a mark as a woman of tech doesn’t come easy, but it isn’t impossible. As Operator of Infinity Dish, Laura Fuentes tells us:

“I do not feel less than my male peers because I was brought up strong and made to believe my worth as a person is determined by myself, not by others. However, as a woman in the tech industry, I have felt ‘looked down upon’ by some male peers who feel tech and science are more of a ’man’s’ world.

When I first started in the tech industry, I felt I had to prove to others, men, especially, that I knew what I was doing. There were sometimes disparaging remarks I felt were designed to make me feel small, like a girl, and not the educated woman I am. I kept on and proved to myself and everyone that I had what it takes to thrive in the tech world.”

Changing the industry for the better

It’s no secret that the tech industry needs work.

Businesses need to look at the bigger picture, admit their mistakes and make changes for the better. They need to actively be diverse.

Instead of hiring more women, businesses need to observe how they treat the women they hire. They need to create a fair, honest, and authentic workforce that design leading innovations regardless of gender.

And of course, regardless of race.

Being Black in digital marketing shouldn’t be a problem, and neither should being female. Let’s shout it from the rooftops until our employers hear us.

Looking back, it’s hard to find too many disparaging, concerned voices about the true power of the internet.

But that’s because it all felt so exhilarating, so fresh, so boundless.

In the early ‘90s, before everyone’s lives were taken over by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the internet was a weird place. It felt almost dirty and dark, no cleanliness, no corporateness. UX all over the place.

Yet, in the same sense, it felt liberating and free. The internet was people’s chance to become something they weren’t in the real world. Or meet like-minded people who share the same views. And, for the most part, it was done away from the watching eye.

Whereas today’s new internet users (the few who inexplicably still exist) largely head straight to Facebook and Twitter, anonymous forums like AOL and Something Awful were previously the user’s first port of call. Anonymity thrived, liberating many. But capturing some.

Traps and dungeons cropped up all over the place. Think dark web now, that was the internet of the 90’s. But scarier. Pre-search engines, it was hard to find your way around, especially for internet noobs. Finding the internet community that fit your worldview wasn’t that easy.

As a result, hatefulness fostered, racism blossomed. Ask any black user from the early days of the internet. It was a frightening place. The white people not of that persuasion felt compelled to fit in. The cloak, a refuge for some, became a weapon for others.

The internet became a white American libertarian’s (probably didn’t need to say white) dream realised. This was a world free of regulation.

As the internet welcomed more people through the virtual doors, anonymity became less cool. And the vultures swooped.

Armed with a smartphone and the promise of ever-connectedness, simplicity, and untold business opportunities, Big Tech changed the world in less than half a decade. And the world was not ready.

Over the last decade the transformative effect the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter has had on the world has left a populace with an identity crisis, upended a political landscape, and supercharged white extremism.

Yet it’s the foundations that were put in place in the decade before which got us here. The building blocks didn’t appear overnight. In the murky backwaters of the anonymous internet, white extremists have been burrowing away ever since the first connection was made. Stormfront is no finer example of that.

In fact, Stormfront is the perfect metaphor. Arguably the most successful bulletin board from the mid-’90s that still exists today. Set up in 1996, Stormfront (and if you don’t know this, then I apologise for alerting you to these scum) is a white nationalist hate site. It was the first of its kind back in the day, peddling antisemitic, holocaust denying, Islamaphobic, white supremacist bullshit. The kind of stuff you’ll read on… wait, Twitter?

Yeah, it really isn’t that hard to connect the dots anymore. You see this stuff all over the internet, and you always have. Yet the internet used to be fragmented. Now it’s all connected.

Big Tech, in its ever-capitalist rush, squeezed everyone together. And through its lust for ad revenue, created the monster.

White extremist views are no longer fringe, no longer only seen on bulletin boards. They’re social media influencers, YouTubers, #1 in the SERPs, the President of the United States of America.

These people existed well before the internet, but they’ve been emboldened by years of anonymous collectiveness. Now they’re coming at us from all sides, masks well and truly down.

Safe spaces, derided by the right, harvested the new extremist. The alt-right. The incel.

White extremism was on a significant downward trend until the mid 2000s. Yet 2017 saw the highest number of white supremacist attacks in the US since 1982. 2018 the fourth and 2019 the second. As of June, over 90% of US terrorist attacks and plots are from white extremists in 2020. Not taking into account further devastation we’ve seen around the world.

The internet brought the like-minded together. The anonymity harvested the hate. The algorithm made it mainstream.

And the monster that was created wreaks havoc.