Fight or flight for mid-level women in tech
ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange
The Anita Borg Institute recently released a study, which was co-authored with the Stanford University Clayman Institute for Gender Research, called Climbing the Technical Ladder: Obstacles and Solutions for Mid-Level women in Technology. The survey participants were 1,795 technical men and women at seven high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley region. Fifty-five percent of respondents were classified as mid-level, 19.9 percent were high level, and 24.6 percent were entry level.
At more than 80 pages, the report isn't a quick read, but findings and recommendations, graphs, and interviewee quotes throughout the pages help highlight major points.
Among other findings, the report says that women respond with "fight or flight" when they reach mid-level positions, the odds of being in a high-level position are 2.7 times greater for men than for women, women are more likely to perceive the workplace as competitive, mid-level women are more likely than men to believe that extended work days are required for success, and both mid-level men and women value teamwork as well as having an impact on their team, organization, and on technology users.
Because both mid-level men and women surveyed agree that mentoring is important for long-term career development – but not rewarded by high-tech companies – the report recommends that companies create a mentoring culture and add mentoring to company evaluation and promotion policies.
The report found that men and women were equally likely to see themselves as being analytical, risk-taking, and assertive, but men were significantly more likely to see themselves as innovative, entrepreneurial, and questioning, and women were more likely to see themselves as collaborative. Both men and women want to be doing innovative work and continuously learn, and survey respondents unanimously agreed that women must be assertive. The report says, "Female interviewees provided countless examples of fighting to overcome their own cultural background and/or preferred communication styles in order to 'fit in' with the high-tech culture." The report recommends that companies create awareness about the different communication styles of men and women.
When it comes to families, almost twice as many women said they delayed having children (or chose not to have them) in order to reach their career goals. The report says, "Men are almost four times more likely than women to report that their partner has primary responsibility for the household and childcare." It should come as no surprise then that women were more likely than men to rank flex time as an important benefit.
Both men and women were equally likely to hold advanced degrees, but women surveyed were less likely to have computer science degrees. The report says, "If high tech companies consider computer science and engineering degrees a prerequisite for advancement on the technical career ladder, our data suggest that mid-level technical women, who are more likely to have earned a non-technical degree, are at a clear disadvantage. ... High-tech companies need to examine their promotion criteria to include more pathways for advancement to the highest ranks."
Overall, I didn't find anything too shocking in the report when I compare it to my personal experience, particularly when it comes to family/work balance. The section on "perceptions of success," however, was eye opening. The report says that "classic hacker behavior" ranked as one of the lowest character attributes for success. Instead, survey respondents ranked seven other characteristics as most important: analytical, innovator, questioning, risk-taking, collaborative, entrepreneurial, and assertive.
How do these findings compare to your personal experiences?
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
correction
Climbng the Technical Ladder