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The Future of Tech Is Female: How to Achieve Gender Diversity
An accessible and timely guide to increasing female presence and leadership in tech companies
Tech giants like Apple and Google are among the fastest growing companies in the world, leading innovations in design and development. The industry continues to see rapid growth, employing millions of in the US it is at the epicenter of the American economy. So why is it that only 5% of senior executives in the tech industry are female? Underrepresentation of women on boards of directors, in the C-suite, and as senior managers remains pervasive in this industry. As tech companies are plagued with high-profile claims of harassment and discrimination, and salary discrepancies for comparable work, one asks what prevents women from reaching management roles, and, more importantly, what can be done to fix it?
The Future of Tech is Female considers the paradoxes involved in women’s ascent to leadership roles, suggesting industry-wide solutions to combat gender inequality. Drawing upon 15 years of experience in the field, Douglas M. Branson traces the history of women in the information technology industry in order to identify solutions for the issues facing women today. Branson explores a variety of solutions such as mandatory quota laws for female employment, pledge programs, and limitations on the H1-B VISA program, and grapples with the challenges facing women in IT from a range of perspectives.
Branson unpacks the plethora of reasons women should hold leadership roles, both in and out of this industry, concluding with a call to reform attitudes toward women in one particular IT branch, the video and computer gaming field, a gateway to many STEM futures. An invaluable resource for anyone invested in gender equality in corporate governance, The Future of Tech is Female lays out the first steps toward a more diverse future for women in tech leadership
Tech giants like Apple and Google are among the fastest growing companies in the world, leading innovations in design and development. The industry continues to see rapid growth, employing millions of in the US it is at the epicenter of the American economy. So why is it that only 5% of senior executives in the tech industry are female? Underrepresentation of women on boards of directors, in the C-suite, and as senior managers remains pervasive in this industry. As tech companies are plagued with high-profile claims of harassment and discrimination, and salary discrepancies for comparable work, one asks what prevents women from reaching management roles, and, more importantly, what can be done to fix it?
The Future of Tech is Female considers the paradoxes involved in women’s ascent to leadership roles, suggesting industry-wide solutions to combat gender inequality. Drawing upon 15 years of experience in the field, Douglas M. Branson traces the history of women in the information technology industry in order to identify solutions for the issues facing women today. Branson explores a variety of solutions such as mandatory quota laws for female employment, pledge programs, and limitations on the H1-B VISA program, and grapples with the challenges facing women in IT from a range of perspectives.
Branson unpacks the plethora of reasons women should hold leadership roles, both in and out of this industry, concluding with a call to reform attitudes toward women in one particular IT branch, the video and computer gaming field, a gateway to many STEM futures. An invaluable resource for anyone invested in gender equality in corporate governance, The Future of Tech is Female lays out the first steps toward a more diverse future for women in tech leadership
- GenresNonfictionTechnology
336 pages, Hardcover
Published July 10, 2018
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June 6, 2020
(I wrote this for The Federal Lawyer https://www.fedbar.org/blog/magazine/...
Years before computer programming was a respected and lucrative profession, women excelled in the field. From breaking codes during World War II, operating computational machines, or working at MIT’s Lincoln Labs (a U.S. Department of Defense research and development center), many computer careerists and innovators were female. This was true in both the public and private sectors. One of the first Harvard “Mark 1” computer programmers was Grace Hopper. She popularized machine-independent programming, leading to the development of COBOL. In 1991, she was awarded the national Medal of Technology. And who can forget Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Margaret Hamilton? She directed MIT’s Software Engineering Division that developed onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions.
Around 1984, to the detriment of girls, women, and society, a shift occurred. Persoonal computers had become affordable and available to high school students. Marketers targeted boys and men, reinforcing stereotypes of what boys and girls like to tinker with. Boys were likelier to receive personal computers as gifts.In 1984, the FBI asked Congress to enact computer-related laws after curious teenage groups like “The Inner Circle” and the “414’s” hacked into information technology (IT) systems. That same year, Ronald Reagan awakened to the nation’s lack of preparedness for cyberattacks, spurred on by the movie “WarGames.” Many months later he signed NSDD-145, the first presidential directive aimed at protecting the country’s computer systems. Like the fictitious “WarGames” protagonist and the real-life teen hacking friends, college students were often tech savvy before arriving at college.
In The Future of Tech Is Female: How to Achieve Gender Diversity, corporate governance expert Douglas Branson turns his expert eye to the IT field. Readers of his earlier book, No Seat at the Table: How Corporate Governance and Law Keep Women Out of the Boardroom (NYU Press, 2008) will recognize his advisory bent. The earlier work examined how the small numbers of female CEOs fell short of societal expectations of more diverse leadership, given that more women were enrolling in law and business programs. No Seat at the Table also offered suggestions for corporate leaders seeking a greater pool of female candidates from which to select corporate director-ships, and for women hoping to advance to leadership posts.
Branson asserts that the tech field is the lowest on his “boo list” when rating industries on the integration of women into leadership roles. In his 24th book, he labels IT as “the perfect storm of gender imbalance.” Blatant sexism within the computer and online gaming industries effectively deters girls from experimenting with computers or from choosing this field of study. He argues that secondary schools often reinforce a curriculum informed by the interests and experiences of boys. A male monopoly in IT persists among most high school faculties and facilities. Statistics show the effects: in 1984, women comprised 37 percent of students graduating with computer degrees. Over the past two decades, that number has declined. Branson writes that jokes or hurtful comments from male students prevail regarding girls’ lack of talent or physical appearance. “Like injured crabs, the girls retreat into their shells, or they leave the field altogether.” Issues to confront in the IT field include viewing this work as technical and solitary. The practice of grading on a curve endures and can disadvantage those who may later become interested in computers. Administrators may assign top teachers to advanced courses, while teaching assistants handle beginners who could benefit from an experienced instructor. Education systems rarely emphasize the social relevance of or applications to other professions that could enhance appeal among females.
Men often bring more computer-oriented prerequisite requirements to college. Admissions policies may favor them. So-called weed-out courses, like thermodynamics, can be daunting to young women. Branson writes, “frequently, word spreads across the campus that the course in advanced programming or the required courses in artificial intelligence and data analytics are centerpieces in the obstacle course designated for a major and leading to a degree in computer science.”After graduation, sexism in the classroom and in employment situations signals a limit to hiring and promotion opportunities for females.
Employment numbers reflect this perfect storm of sexism. Only 27 women hold top-level positions in the technology field. Of those, just two have backgrounds in STEM. IT leadership compensation for women accounts for only 5 percent of the highest paid tech executives. Branson notes that in 2016, IT market capitalization accounted for $3.84 trillion. “Yet, tech is the most backward of major industries in promoting women to leadership positions or positioning them for future ascension into executive positions.
This gender bias is prevalent in online gaming, and its marketing is a gateway to male dominance in tech. While not relegated to male teen nerds, Branson writes, “as an industry, gaming is more male-dominated than even information technology as a whole. Virtually no women occupy leadership positions. As to content, the games the industry produces are characterized by violence and cruelty, designed to appeal to adolescent males. The games feature women mainly as objects of sex or violence.” Forty-nine percent of Americans admit playing video games regularly, and women make up less than half of all gamers.
As readers absorb this information, Branson reminds us why the IT field needs women leadership. A diverse workforce fosters innovation, which sparks economic development. An unwritten subtext is that, given the indispensable role that technology plays in modern society, innovation is good for cybersecurity. Diversity can help devise smart approaches to cyberdefense. Other reasons include the argument that women in lofty positions serve as role models to other women within and without the organization. Branson asserts that women are better judges of risk. Managers with varying back-grounds offer objections and ask questions. From an economic perspective, global theorists find that countries where women attain positions of influence and authority fare better in terms of gross domestic product.
The Future of Tech Is Female is not an optimistic book. The title assertion is aspirational rather than realistic, and Branson acknowledges that obstacles exist. For example, when discussing “comply or explain regimes” adopted in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and others, “one senses that a comply or explain regime would not be a good fit here in the United States or for the information technology industry” because its purpose is to let the market decide whether regulatory standards are appropriate in business.
Also daunting is Branson’s call for change in the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry as a necessary first step. It stands out as in need of immediate reform, according to Branson, if we are to increase women in the IT field. [G]aming is, if not crack cocaine, the gateway drug, so to speak, for young men and women who later on follow up on nascent interests developed through computer and video gaming. The through-and-through misogynistic soul of the gaming industry is a principal reason for females’ reduced presence in information technology. Gaming industry reform is a sine qua non for increasing the number of women in the information technology field.
Other impediments include First Amendment considerations; the corporate profit motive; and “a myriad of small developers who pop up here and there, have a hit or quasi-hit ... and disappear.” Branson’s integration of solutions—aimed largely at industry and education—throughout The Future of Tech is Female makes it a thoughtful handbook for those concerned with the power of tech giants and the role of innovation in society. It takes the pulse of an industry whose products provide portals for adversaries seeking to penetrate the nation’s wired infrastructure. As the U.S. public and private sectors fail to effectively guard many of these networks, diversity in leadership becomes a matter of public safety. It is apparent that we need to enlist the talents of the progeny of Dr. Grace Hopper and Margaret Hamilton and the life-saving code breakers of World War II.
Years before computer programming was a respected and lucrative profession, women excelled in the field. From breaking codes during World War II, operating computational machines, or working at MIT’s Lincoln Labs (a U.S. Department of Defense research and development center), many computer careerists and innovators were female. This was true in both the public and private sectors. One of the first Harvard “Mark 1” computer programmers was Grace Hopper. She popularized machine-independent programming, leading to the development of COBOL. In 1991, she was awarded the national Medal of Technology. And who can forget Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Margaret Hamilton? She directed MIT’s Software Engineering Division that developed onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions.
Around 1984, to the detriment of girls, women, and society, a shift occurred. Persoonal computers had become affordable and available to high school students. Marketers targeted boys and men, reinforcing stereotypes of what boys and girls like to tinker with. Boys were likelier to receive personal computers as gifts.In 1984, the FBI asked Congress to enact computer-related laws after curious teenage groups like “The Inner Circle” and the “414’s” hacked into information technology (IT) systems. That same year, Ronald Reagan awakened to the nation’s lack of preparedness for cyberattacks, spurred on by the movie “WarGames.” Many months later he signed NSDD-145, the first presidential directive aimed at protecting the country’s computer systems. Like the fictitious “WarGames” protagonist and the real-life teen hacking friends, college students were often tech savvy before arriving at college.
In The Future of Tech Is Female: How to Achieve Gender Diversity, corporate governance expert Douglas Branson turns his expert eye to the IT field. Readers of his earlier book, No Seat at the Table: How Corporate Governance and Law Keep Women Out of the Boardroom (NYU Press, 2008) will recognize his advisory bent. The earlier work examined how the small numbers of female CEOs fell short of societal expectations of more diverse leadership, given that more women were enrolling in law and business programs. No Seat at the Table also offered suggestions for corporate leaders seeking a greater pool of female candidates from which to select corporate director-ships, and for women hoping to advance to leadership posts.
Branson asserts that the tech field is the lowest on his “boo list” when rating industries on the integration of women into leadership roles. In his 24th book, he labels IT as “the perfect storm of gender imbalance.” Blatant sexism within the computer and online gaming industries effectively deters girls from experimenting with computers or from choosing this field of study. He argues that secondary schools often reinforce a curriculum informed by the interests and experiences of boys. A male monopoly in IT persists among most high school faculties and facilities. Statistics show the effects: in 1984, women comprised 37 percent of students graduating with computer degrees. Over the past two decades, that number has declined. Branson writes that jokes or hurtful comments from male students prevail regarding girls’ lack of talent or physical appearance. “Like injured crabs, the girls retreat into their shells, or they leave the field altogether.” Issues to confront in the IT field include viewing this work as technical and solitary. The practice of grading on a curve endures and can disadvantage those who may later become interested in computers. Administrators may assign top teachers to advanced courses, while teaching assistants handle beginners who could benefit from an experienced instructor. Education systems rarely emphasize the social relevance of or applications to other professions that could enhance appeal among females.
Men often bring more computer-oriented prerequisite requirements to college. Admissions policies may favor them. So-called weed-out courses, like thermodynamics, can be daunting to young women. Branson writes, “frequently, word spreads across the campus that the course in advanced programming or the required courses in artificial intelligence and data analytics are centerpieces in the obstacle course designated for a major and leading to a degree in computer science.”After graduation, sexism in the classroom and in employment situations signals a limit to hiring and promotion opportunities for females.
Employment numbers reflect this perfect storm of sexism. Only 27 women hold top-level positions in the technology field. Of those, just two have backgrounds in STEM. IT leadership compensation for women accounts for only 5 percent of the highest paid tech executives. Branson notes that in 2016, IT market capitalization accounted for $3.84 trillion. “Yet, tech is the most backward of major industries in promoting women to leadership positions or positioning them for future ascension into executive positions.
This gender bias is prevalent in online gaming, and its marketing is a gateway to male dominance in tech. While not relegated to male teen nerds, Branson writes, “as an industry, gaming is more male-dominated than even information technology as a whole. Virtually no women occupy leadership positions. As to content, the games the industry produces are characterized by violence and cruelty, designed to appeal to adolescent males. The games feature women mainly as objects of sex or violence.” Forty-nine percent of Americans admit playing video games regularly, and women make up less than half of all gamers.
As readers absorb this information, Branson reminds us why the IT field needs women leadership. A diverse workforce fosters innovation, which sparks economic development. An unwritten subtext is that, given the indispensable role that technology plays in modern society, innovation is good for cybersecurity. Diversity can help devise smart approaches to cyberdefense. Other reasons include the argument that women in lofty positions serve as role models to other women within and without the organization. Branson asserts that women are better judges of risk. Managers with varying back-grounds offer objections and ask questions. From an economic perspective, global theorists find that countries where women attain positions of influence and authority fare better in terms of gross domestic product.
The Future of Tech Is Female is not an optimistic book. The title assertion is aspirational rather than realistic, and Branson acknowledges that obstacles exist. For example, when discussing “comply or explain regimes” adopted in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and others, “one senses that a comply or explain regime would not be a good fit here in the United States or for the information technology industry” because its purpose is to let the market decide whether regulatory standards are appropriate in business.
Also daunting is Branson’s call for change in the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry as a necessary first step. It stands out as in need of immediate reform, according to Branson, if we are to increase women in the IT field. [G]aming is, if not crack cocaine, the gateway drug, so to speak, for young men and women who later on follow up on nascent interests developed through computer and video gaming. The through-and-through misogynistic soul of the gaming industry is a principal reason for females’ reduced presence in information technology. Gaming industry reform is a sine qua non for increasing the number of women in the information technology field.
Other impediments include First Amendment considerations; the corporate profit motive; and “a myriad of small developers who pop up here and there, have a hit or quasi-hit ... and disappear.” Branson’s integration of solutions—aimed largely at industry and education—throughout The Future of Tech is Female makes it a thoughtful handbook for those concerned with the power of tech giants and the role of innovation in society. It takes the pulse of an industry whose products provide portals for adversaries seeking to penetrate the nation’s wired infrastructure. As the U.S. public and private sectors fail to effectively guard many of these networks, diversity in leadership becomes a matter of public safety. It is apparent that we need to enlist the talents of the progeny of Dr. Grace Hopper and Margaret Hamilton and the life-saving code breakers of World War II.
January 6, 2019
An important and interesting topic which is covered in detail by the author but structured poorly, repetitive and at times full of waffle.
I’m not sure on the purpose of one of the early chapters detailing case studies of how prominent female CEOs ‘messed up’ in their roles. This bizarrely serves as counter to the book’s premise, intending to critique the institutional reasons why these women failed, but instead focussed on them personally and how them being women (for example being mothers) caused them to mess up.
This book is well intentioned, but feels like it was poorly edited and perhaps didn’t get read by enough women before it was published.
I’m not sure on the purpose of one of the early chapters detailing case studies of how prominent female CEOs ‘messed up’ in their roles. This bizarrely serves as counter to the book’s premise, intending to critique the institutional reasons why these women failed, but instead focussed on them personally and how them being women (for example being mothers) caused them to mess up.
This book is well intentioned, but feels like it was poorly edited and perhaps didn’t get read by enough women before it was published.
January 13, 2021
I am disappointed with this book on the premise of its title; explaining how to achieve gender diversity. I agree with other reviews that this book felt rushed and poorly edited. I agree that this book would have benefited from a diversity of editors/reviewers before publishing.
I am glad of the topics this book raised that led to some very interesting conversations with people around me, but I wish the conversations were driven by the text of this book. They just couldn't have been.
I am glad of the topics this book raised that led to some very interesting conversations with people around me, but I wish the conversations were driven by the text of this book. They just couldn't have been.
July 12, 2020
Chuck full of excellent research. Too much emphasis on a few CEO's that have had major failures. Too little discussion on what needs to happen. I didn't get the sense that the future of tech is female after reading this. On a positive note I do like the conversation on mentoring and sponsorship. Mentorship without sponsorship is often shallow and doesn't produce good results for the mentoree. I agree and made the book worth reading overall. Again excellent data and research...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews