WOMEN IN TECH THE FACTS

As the adage goes, what gets measured is what gets done. With this in mind, external data
transparency can be an important step in building trust, adding to the knowledge base of
what works, and in measuring progress going forward.
If your company is unable to go public with its data at the moment, internal transparency is still a must for
creating real change. Organizations should identify the key stakeholders and what data they need access
to in order to measure progress and implement effective change. See NCWIT’s Data Collection & Strategic
Planning Guide for detailed information on data collection, transparency, and strategic planning.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Male or “Majority-Group” Allies Also Matter
Why include men and other majority-group (e.g., white, heterosexual) advocates
in efforts to diversify participation in technology?
“Majority-group” allies and advocates are key for successful change efforts in majority-minority
workplaces or environments. While anyone can make change, majority-group advocates (e.g., male
or white advocates) often have more power and are in a better position to make significant change with
less risk.
Increasing diverse participation is not a women’s issue or an issue that is only relevant to
underrepresented groups. Diversity and inclusivity are business issues, and they are human issues.
Research shows that businesses profit from diverse perspectives that bring innovation and
company competiveness.
Majority-group members benefit from increased diversity. People of all genders are held to restrictive
standards around gender, racial, and other identities that limit their potential and the kinds of things they
are able to do. Since these are issues that impact us all, we should all come together to work on them.
Additionally, recognizing the benefits of increased diversity to all employees dismantles claims that
“special privileges” or “special help” is being given to underrepresented technologists.
Men make up the majority of technical leaders, so they are often in a better position to put
some of these practices into place. Men currently hold
a majority of formal and informal positions of power in
tech, so they are able to have a great deal of influence
“85% of our leaders are
on the current climate—whether it be in subtle everyday
men in this company, and
moments or in changing larger systems.
if they are not advocates,
Read more about NCWIT’s Male Advocates research
then the culture won’t
(Ashcraft, DuBow, Eger, Blithe, & Sevier, 2013), and share change—we won’t have
our Fast Company article (Ashcraft & DuBow, 2015) for a the right environment.”
—NCWIT Male Ally and Advocate
quick overview about the importance of male
Interviewee
allies and potential challenges to majority-advocates.
Use NCWIT’s Male Allies Toolkit to engage male allies in
diversity and inclusion efforts.
54 WOMEN IN TECH: THE FACTS NCWIT // ncwit.org