Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, we had PacMan everything. My father, who had a career in IT long before the industry boom, worked as a tech support lab manager for a video game company and created an arcade system in our home. Back when no one had computers, we had five. My dad taught my brother and me, along with other minority kids in our community, how to work them, how to build them, and how to think technically from a young age. My mother also had a long career at a technology company. Naturally, I grew up believing that a career in technology was normal and expected.
I didn’t realize how uncommon my experience was until I was the only black woman in my class declaring a computer science major at Purdue University. I hadn’t known that women, especially underrepresented women of color, face countless barriers to careers in technology. After years in engineering and leadership roles, it’s clear to me that my success in these technical, corporate spaces should not be unique or noteworthy. It should be ordinary and scalable.
Obviously, we know that’s not the case today. Women of color are woefully underrepresented in technical environments. Black and Latinx women comprise only 12% of computer and information science occupations, according to a 2018 report from the Kapor Center. And it’s not getting better. The percentage of black, Latinx, and Native American women receiving computing degrees actually fell by nearly 40% over the past decade.
Despite these dismal numbers, there’s a real desire in the industry to improve representation. Often, that manifests as guilt. Guilt that progress hasn’t been speedier. Guilt that, even in 2019, many groups are disproportionately left behind. Guilt won’t change the current landscape. We need to move from guilt to action with actual strategies that will increase the participation of underrepresented women of color in tech today.
There’s no one path to success. But at Reboot Representation, where I recently joined as CEO, a coalition of tech companies have been pooling philanthropic dollars and collectively investing, intentionally and unapologetically, in programs and institutions that make educations and careers in computing more equitable for underrepresented women of color.
After one year of Reboot’s collective grant-making and a lifetime of experiences in tech, I’m sharing three must-have strategies to ensure we are diversifying the tech sector for all women, including underrepresented women of color.
There’s no one path to a computing career
In the public imagination, a computing career starts with an early interest in computing, continues with a computer science major from an elite four-year university, and culminates in a dream job at a prominent tech company. Seems easy, right? Not for everyone. As a 2018 report pointed out, girls are less likely than boys to have exposure to computing as children. It follows that on-ramps beyond K-12 are critical in making up lost ground. To invest in a more equitable computing field for women of color, we need to operate with the understanding that it’s never too late to grow an interest in computing.
Curriculum access matters
Research shows that the Advanced Placement Computer Science (AP CS) exam program increases the likelihood of a student majoring in computing fields. One 2011 study showed that 17.9% of AP CS students majored in computer and information sciences, compared to 2.3% of the total sample. Paths to equity should address the high school experiences that often act as roadblocks to pursuing a computer science degree—which subsequently impacts representation in the computing workforce. This means equipping high schools and teachers with the tools to teach these courses to more students, especially in schools where students may have had less access to a math and science curriculum. The availability of and success on AP CS tests greatly impact the future of students across the country.
Recruitment and retention are two sides of the same coin
Recruitment and retention might seem like separate goals, but they’re ultimately one and the same. While total undergraduate enrollment in the United States has increased by 27% since 2000, only 60% of undergraduates earn their degrees in six years. This can have a particular impact on underrepresented students who often lack the network of support and resources that many other students have. Beyond improving pathways and removing barriers to entry, it’s critical that those who enroll are supported by peers, mentors, resources, and opportunities that all play a role in getting students to graduation day. If we care about lasting change, we have to make sure that the last day of school is just as important as the first.
Guilt won’t change the industry’s current lack of representation, but collective action will. When we understand the barriers that exist for underrepresented women of color and actively work to address them, we have the power to create lasting change. Technology empowers, innovates, and adapts. It’s our responsibility to do the same.
Dwana Franklin-Davis is the CEO of Reboot Representation, a coalition of leading tech companies collectively investing in the increased representation of underrepresented women of color in computing fields.
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