Statistics don’t lie. If you are working in IT, you’re most likely a male. Nearly all of corporate diversity reports show that Silicon Valley is a male dominated industry.
The tech giant, Google, pointed out that this plague is the effect of a shared unconscious bias in everyone’s minds. Unconscious bias happens “naturally” and is not only confined to the work environment but also our daily lives. These biases are shaped by experiences, cultural norms, and allow us to filter information and make quick decisions. However, we've all been unknowingly skewed by these shortcuts.
Google has always been at the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to technology, employee relations and social issues, Once again, Google has stepped in as a leader by exposing the pervasiveness of unconscious bias. They are attempting to fix this demographic gap within their walls by making the work environment more appealing to minorities such as women. There is a growing body of research surrounding unconscious bias and how it can be prevented from negatively impacting our decision making and hampering the motives of others.
However, this obstacle should be tackled early on in life. The difference of gender roles in society is mainly forged during the childhood of individuals. Programs that specifically target splinter groups ,such as females, to pursue in the science and technology industry should be initiated during the most sensitive period of one's life, K-12. The goal of this is to identify how unconscious bias is affecting our outlook, decisions, and interactions from the get go and prevent it from burgeoning.
ALL HEIL DAVID
