Ubiquitous Learning and Instructional Technologies MOOC’s Updates

Essential Update #2 Gender Inequality as it Relates to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Make an Update: Raise an issue about technology and gender. Provide examples and discuss implications.

It’s hard to think of gender inequality without thinking of gender and racial inequality. Dr. Pamela Maynard points that out: “ As a woman of color — and one of the only black female CEOs in the technology industry — I know how it feels to often be the only one in the room who looks like me. That’s why creating a workplace where everyone feels that they can bring their true selves to work is a personal passion of mine.”

Pamela Maynard, member of the Forbes Councils, asks the crucial question in her article: “Are We Really Closing The Gender Gap In Tech?” She states that there’s much more work to be done to close the gender gap and make the tech industry more diverse across the board. She mentions the struggle to attract women into STEM as a whole is actually worse today than it was in 1984.[i]

Compounding this gender gap in tech are additional barriers due to lack of children and the global pandemic. She cited research that shows evidence of “one-third of mothers face opting out of or scaling back their careers.”[ii] This is a compelling illustration of a gender inequity.

Pamela Maynard asserts the approaches which she believes are effective in addressing this gender disparity in technology. : …”we have much more to do if we are to go beyond the gender gap and make the industry more diverse across the board.”

As a whole, there is no consensus in approaches to achieve gender equality in technology and the workforce, however we see pockets of marginalized populations protesting injustice and consulting institutions, scholars and researchers involved in facilitating and training in diversity and inclusion that may contribute to a movement for gender equality in the long run, especially if communities keep it on the forefront agenda for our entire nation and institutions to address.

An example of approaches which everyone benefitted from is the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. “The Civil rights movement was an organized effort by Black Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights under the law. It began in the late 1940s and ended in the late 1960s. Although tumultuous at times, the movement was mostly nonviolent and resulted in laws to protect every American’s constitutional rights, regardless of color, race, sex or national origin.” [iii]

Recruiting diverse individuals is only one step, however insufficient in and of itself. Once diverse employees, women and women of color get hired, there has to be support by way of equity and inclusion. Dr. Torie Weiston-Serdan, Scholar. Practitioner and Mentor breaks down (JEDI) Justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts as it applies to marginalized communities. She facilitates mentoring with youth and training to wider constituents. Diversity she explains is everyone sitting at the table be different from another person. Equity is shared resources and giving everyone what they need to be successful at their workplace. Inclusion is (diversity + equity) combined and it leads to the next step in the process, which is shared power and action in decision making.

More recently, The Muse, a career site has contributed to the dialogue by interviewing employees[iv] 

Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a Pandemic: How to Support Black Colleagues - YouTube

and posting them to https://www.themuse.com. In addition to the dialogue there are career advice videos and articles which can be accessed directly from their Website at the Diversity and Inclusion Webpage. [v]

Example of Diversity

[vi]

cloudfront.net

Summary:

Achieving gender equality is tied in with initiatives of Diversity and Inclusion. In order to achieve this, people have to come together to have dialogues around these issues. Women and women of color need to be treated equitable and given what we/ they need and deserve to succeed. 'I Am Because We Are': [vii]

Endnotes:

[i]https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/03/03/are-we-really-closing-the-gender-gap-in-tech/?sh=5db7590c5d71

[ii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/03/03/are-we-really-closing-the-gender-gap-in-tech/?sh=458a7d9d5d71

[iii] https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/civil-rights-movement-timeline [iv] Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a Pandemic: How to Support Black Colleagues - YouTube

[v] https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-truths-diversity-and-inclusion-at-work [vi]https://cacm.acm.org/news/253555-tech-company-initiatives-encourage-greater-diversity-equity-inclusion/fulltext?mobile=false

[vii]https://www.ttbook.org/interview/i-am-because-we-are-african-philosophy-ubuntu

  • Gina Francesconi
  • Gina Francesconi
  • Stephanie Wardrop