Dice’s upcoming Diversity Report, which surveyed some 3,000 women in tech, revealed some pretty stark facts about gender imbalance in the tech industry. For example, some 62 percent of women in tech say their ideas are ignored in meetings—until a man repeats them. Some 54 percent say they’re assigned to “menial” tasks, and 11 percent have been told they only have their current position because of their gender. At a time when many companies are struggling to diversify their employee ranks, and there’s a lot of industry chatter about equality, these stats (and many others) are startling. For firms of all shapes and sizes, it also has the makings of an existential crisis: fewer young women are choosing to pursue careers in tech, and women are leaving tech at double the rate as men. Without a diverse population of builders, companies risk losing their edge. For recruiters, this raises a key question: how can firms attract and retain women, and create an environment that fosters that talent? Recent Ideal Employer data shows that women value benefits above all else when considering a job offer; competitive salary, manageable working hours, a challenging work environment, and positive culture rank second through fifth on their list of desired employer attributes. For recruiters and hiring managers, that data is a good place to start. When recruiting women, it’s also vital to understand the differences between them and male recruits, and to highlight the opportunities for professional growth and advancement into higher-level roles. A full two-thirds of the women surveyed for the Diversity Report feel that female employees are not equally represented at senior levels within their current (or most) recent employers. Recruiters who emphasize a company’s habit of promoting women to senior-level positions will stand out from the competition; in a similar vein, highlighting any mentorship/sponsorship programs, as well as transparency in pay structures, will help. For a further breakdown of women in tech, check out the infographic below—and keep your eyes peeled for Dice’s full Diversity Report, which should arrive in the next few weeks.
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