The Politics of Everything
Hosted by Amber Daines, The Politics of Everything launched in May 2017 as a weekly podcast series asking newsworthy experts and leaders the tricky questions about the politics of everything that matters to mankind in the 21st century.
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June 28th 2022
141: The Politics of Women in Technology - Paula Bratcher Ratcliff
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The tech field lags far behind on workplace gender equality: There's a stark difference in hiring quotas, salary, and retention numbers for women in tech compared to their male counterparts - pointing out deeper inequalities and foundational problems in the industry.
I am in conversation with Paula Bratcher Ratcliff. She is the force behind Women Impact Tech, a community for collaboration, professional growth, and belonging to inspire, educate, empower, and advance women in technology. This is her big goal!
Paula argues that just because a company has a good diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement doesn't mean they follow through. It's about building support systems - having an active and purposeful mission to elevate your employees - especially women or other under-represented groups in your office.
A few months ago, Women Impact Tech released its first-ever Women Impact Tech 100 list, honouring the 100 top organizations where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements go above and beyond to foster an equitable and thriving workplace environment for women. Coinciding with International Women's Day earlier this year, the Women Impact Tech 100 highlights the most innovative, ground-breaking tech companies that prioritize DEI initiatives in their company foundation-making it clear through tangible action that diversity is a key contributor to overall company success. The best of the progressive companies who prioritize DEI make up the 2022 Women Impact Tech 100. The list was compiled after extensive research and review using public data, including employee feedback on workplace culture for women and other under-represented groups, company benefits, and perks, and dedicated DEI efforts.
Hear from Paula about these areas:
- Women in tech seem to still face so many challenges. Inequity across the board, underpaid and underrepresented. Studies show female managers at tech companies make 10% less on average than their male counterparts across major cities. Women make up just 28.8% of the total tech workforce while women of color only make up 4% of the computing workforce and almost no senior leadership roles. How can this change faster?
- Why should more women want to work in tech? Sounds like it may not want us!
- The pandemic's impact on women in tech was stark. Women in the tech industry were twice as likely to be furloughed or laid off than their male counterparts throughout the pandemic. 54% of women say that the pandemic is making it harder for them to break into the tech industry. Meanwhile, 38% of those who do break in, plan on leaving in the next 2 years, and many report dissatisfaction with the industry. Why are many qualified women leaving the tech industry and what can businesses do to retain them?
CONTACT INFO:
LinkedIn: Paula R. Bratcher Ratliff | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/womenimpacttech/
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