WOMEN IN TECH THE FACTS

HOW DO THESE BIASES PLAY OUT IN EVERYDAY, SUBTLE INTERACTIONS IN THE
TECHNICAL WORKPLACE?
Subtle instances of implicit bias often build upon each
other, creating environments that push underrepresented
employees out the door. The following are some concrete
examples of how these dynamics play out in
computing companies.
Microinequities
“My manager is always
looking away, texting,
or somehow distracted
when I talk to him. But
he’s not usually like that
with my male colleagues.
What’s going on?”
Microinequities—often caused by implicit bias—are
subtle, cumulative, and repeated negative messages
that can devalue, discourage, and impair performance
in the workplace (Young, 2007). These messages include
looks, gestures, tone of voice, and other verbal and non-verbal signals. They often accumulate in ways
that lead employees to underperform, withdraw from co-workers, and ultimately leave the workplace.
Examples of Microinequities
• Recruiters and interviewers using the pronoun “he” when discussing a position
or potential candidate.
• Enthusiastically greeting men but being more hesitant to greet women at
job fair booths or recruiting functions.
• Frequently mispronouncing someone’s name.
• Consistently confusing the few people of color in the company with each other.
• Failing to recognize an idea when expressed by one employee, but acknowledging
it when paraphrased by another employee.
• Looking at the clock, answering cell phone, or other subtle behaviors that indicate
a manager or supervisor is not interested in the conversation with an employee.
• Subtle norms that make it acceptable for heterosexual people to talk about what
they did on the weekend with husbands, wives, or family but not as acceptable or
comfortable for LGBTQ employees to do so.
Hidden biases and barriers cost corporate America $64 billion per
year in employee turnover—and that is a conservative estimate.
This estimate accounts for the annual cost of employee turnover due solely to
unfairness resulting from bias. This turnover disproportionately includes employees
from underrepresented groups. When considering other intangible factors, such as
the cost to company reputation and ability to recruit new talent (including men),
the price tag soars even higher. Additional intangible costs result when implicit biases
silence the employees who do stay or prevent them from contributing their best ideas.
Kapor Klein, 2008
22 WOMEN IN TECH: THE FACTS NCWIT // ncwit.org