Equality & Tech

Guest blog post by Deepa Mann-Kler

The first women's rights convention was held in the US on the 19th July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. That was 172 years ago. That is a long time to be grappling with gender equality, an issue whose core is an objective and decent justification in its own right, but also leads to smarter economics and smarter societies. So why are we still talking about this today? I have been fortunate enough to run an immersive tech company since 2016 but when I hear and listen to first hand gender inequality experiences from other women working in tech, my heart sinks. The meaningful commitment towards equality, diversity and inclusion within this sector do vary and this is heartening, but there are clearly obvious challenges and still a long way to go. 

Intersectionality and retention

What can tech companies and society be doing collectively to challenge gender bias and discrimination? For a start the conversation needs to include the intersectionality of identity. None of us fall into one single label and our sense of identity can also change over time, as we become older or may become carers or parents and so on. So race, age, disability, neuro-diversity, LGBTQ+, socio-economic status and all other equality characteristics and differences have to be part of this conversation. We also have to question the constant focus of “how we can get young women into the tech industry”, as if the problem is with young women themselves. To be honest many tech companies should be focusing on retaining the women they already have in their workforce, especially when women leave the industry at a 45% higher rate than men. One of the most important investments any company makes is in hiring new people. So it costs the company every time an employee leaves. According to Employee Benefit News “it costs employers 33% of an employee’s annual salary to hire a replacement if that worker leaves.” This just does not make good business sense. 

Tech companies need to recognise the role that their policies, values and culture play in perpetuating inequality. By implementing more open recruitment strategies, with specific and measurable performance evaluation criteria and by having transparent procedures for pay, bonuses, promotions and project allocations, will help to start to address some of these systemic barriers. It goes without saying how important unconscious bias, understanding privilege, equality, diversity and inclusion training are for all employees in a company. 

Leadership and role models

It is also about the tech industry having women in leadership positions and having role models. People get inspired to do something when they can see others like themselves doing it. When women see other women in these roles, they find it easier to imagine themselves in those roles. This is not rocket science and it’s like Marian Wright Edelman said “you can’t be what you can’t see.” Although progress has been made in increasing the diversity of UK boards, since Lord Davies’ report on the gender balance of the top FTSE 100 boards in 2011. By 2017, women made up just 27.7% on average of FTSE 100 boards (up from 12.5% in 2010) but by July 2018, this has still only reached 29%.

It is time for quotas

We also need to start thinking seriously about implementing quotas. Quotas are not an anathema to meritocracy, what they actually do is increase competence levels by displacing mediocre men. This finding is based on fascinating research in Sweden. Once again we need to change the narrative of focus and move the burden of the argument “from the under-representation of women to the unjustifiable over-representation of men”.

The tech scene is booming and if these tech companies want to attract, recruit and retain the best talent then they are going to have to deliver on a clear “employee value proposition.” This has to articulate a healthy, inclusive culture where every employee is valued to be their best unique self and it has to be meaningful and not just pay lip service to these ideals.

If I was a woman in the tech industry looking for new employment opportunities I would do my due diligence. I would look at the company structure and pay close attention to its’ composition (gender, race, age and so on) of their board, executive and senior management teams. I would read Glassdoor reviews. I would read the company gender pay gap reports and examine their retention rates. I would read the company’s equality, diversity and inclusion policies and see what commitments are made on the company website and I would reach out to women currently working in the company to hear their first hand experiences. We are in a market of high demand for these skill sets and you have choice.

Diversity leads to innovation

The business case for diversity and inclusion is overwhelming. We know that profit margins at the most diverse companies are 14% higher (source: McKinsey, Delivering Through Diversity report, 2018). The relationship between diversity and inclusion and innovation is also fascinating where companies that have more diverse management teams have a 19% higher revenue due to increased innovation (source: Boston Consulting Group esearch ‘How diverse teams boost innovaton’, 2018). Diversity in thinking, experience and background are strategic competitive advantages to drive innovation and by getting this right, tech companies will build the next generation of meaningful digital experiences, services and products. It also means that these tech companies are more likely to meet the needs of all of their customers and to generate ideas and qualify concepts to fill the innovation growth pipeline more efficiently.

Predictions over the future of what work will be are so uncertain. While an increasing number of jobs will be mechanised, creativity is still a unique human skill that may be difficult to replace through automation (for now). What is important is having an innovation mindset and culture. And what also drives innovation? A willingness to have a learning mindset. We don’t know what we don’t know currently. With the exploitation of data, facial recognition tech, machine learning and artificial intelligence, we should really be informing our young people and each other about the complexity and impact of these technologies. Society is being redesigned as we speak. We have not future proofed our tech, nor have we thought through the intended and unintended consequences of everything that is happening currently. We are powering a society that benefits powerful corporations and people should be questioning what is happening. We have to take responsibility for our own learning.

To achieve true gender parity and equality we need to work together. I want to end with a quote from Jennifer DaSilva in an article in Forbes September 2019 “Ally, mentor, sponsor, partner. They’re different words, but in my mind they all get us to the same end. Alone we are amazing, but together we are always better.”

Deepa Mann-Kler is a consultant in equality, diversity and inclusion, a TEDx speaker, Chief Executive of her own med tech company Neon, Visiting Professor in Immersive Futures with Ulster University, a Non-Executive Director holding positions across the UK and an award winning artist.

Her firm, Neon specialises in immersive software applications for health and wellbeing, including the BreatheVR app to help people relax who are suffering from anxiety or pain. As a Non-Executive Director she serves on the boards of the Equality Commission for NI, the Public Health Agency and Registers of Scotland.

Her artistry focuses on light based installations, paintings and prints, and she has been commissioned for several large scale permanent public artworks.

www.deepamannkler.com | www.discoverneon.com | @deepamann_kler | LinkedIn