Communications of the ACM
Science Doesn't Explain Tech's Diversity Problem – History Does
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In 2017, the idea that biological differences drive social inequality is considered fairly offensive. For the incurious, the taboo around this argument makes it exciting. But unlike people, not all ideas are created equally, and they should not be treated with the same amount of seriousness — especially when those ideas ignore both a broad scientific debate that's gone on for years and clear evidence that women in tech are excluded more than in other industries.
The idea that women or people of color lack the innate qualities that white men possess to succeed in high-status, elite professions is decades old. And the shape of the argument always looks the same, saying that current social conditions are somehow biologically natural, and that attempts to remedy inequalities are suspect. It is a tired stance in an endless debate, and it says far more about our feelings than it does about science.
The gender skew tends to get worse in the more powerful levels of the industry. A 2014 report found that only 11 percent of the top 150 Silicon Valley companies have at least one woman in an executive position. In 2017, Crunchbase found that only 17 percent of startupshad at least one female founder, and that percentage hasn't grown since 2012.
From The Verge
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