WOMEN IN TECH THE FACTS

04
INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS:
How Do Biases Influence Retention
and Advancement?
CHAPTER SNAPSHOT: FOUR BARRIERS TO RETENTION & ADVANCEMENT
> > Managerial Relationships: Employees leave managers, not companies.
> > Isolation: Lack of sponsors and informal networks reduces sense of belonging.
> > Performance Evaluations and Promotion: We tend to develop and promote
people who are like us.
> > Competing Life Responsibilities: Failure to provide flexible options has
consequences for ALL employees and for the company.
Key Takeaways
> > Because they are often promoted on the basis of their technical expertise,
technical managers often have less training or expertise when it comes to
effectively managing people.
> > A lack of sponsors and informal networks makes it more difficult for women to
navigate “unwritten” company rules and norms. This can also reduce women’s
sense of belonging in the organization.
> > Many technical women report feeling stalled in their careers.
> > In performance evaluation, women receive advice that they need to be “less
abrasive” or should “tone it down” much more frequently than do men.
> > Both women AND men increasingly report a desire for flexible work.
Meanwhile evidence suggests that employers often underestimate the
importance of flexible work for employees.
34 WOMEN IN TECH: THE FACTS NCWIT // ncwit.org