It’s no secret that when it comes to diversity and inclusion in technology, the scales are heavily sided against women and those from a BME background. The 2018 Harvey Nash Technology Survey, of more than 3,000 tech professionals, shows that just one in seven are female. A bigger concern is that this figure has remained the same for years, with LinkedIn research suggesting the number of female software engineers has only risen 3% in 15 years. Worrying figures indeed.
In spite of these stats the sentiment amongst businesses and technologists is that we need to strike a greater balance. It’s not entirely altruistic. More diverse businesses have been proven to yield higher profits and greater productivity. Add to that the major tech talent shortage and the motives for attracting more women become apparent.