Creating greater gender diversity in tech
In D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) terms, technology is a uniquely challenging subculture in every organisation, however, it’s also where real business benefits can be realised when teams are diverse and balanced.
Project F helps organisations, large and small, to achieve sustainable gender equality in their tech teams for long-term health.
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The case for gender equity
Women leaving tech
56% of women leave tech mid-career
—and not to have children
Source: NCWIT
EBIT increases
EBIT increases by 3.5% with every 10% rise in female representation in leadership
Source: McKinsey
Better financial performance
When contrasting financial performance, the most gender-diverse companies perform, on average, 15% better.
Source: McKinsey
Balanced teams outperform homogenous teams
56% of women leave tech mid-career
—and not to have children
Source: Hoogendoorn, H., & Praag, M. van
Creativity and problem solving spikes
Gender-balanced teams are the most likely to experiment, be creative, share knowledge and fulfil tasks
Source: Lehman Brothers Center for Women in Business
Competitive advantage
Diversity is a competitive differentiator that shifts market share toward more diverse companies
Source: McKinsey
Project F can help you create gender diversity in tech
Benchmarking
Gender Equity Diversity & Inclusion standards for the technology sector benchmark and certify organisations large and small. Aligned with international approaches and including intersectional gender dimensions, the T-EDI Standards support a systemic approach to improving gender diversity in tech teams and leadership. Simply take the self assessments to be benchmarked and receive your action plans and resources.
Learn more about T-EDI Standards →
Accreditation for startups & scaleups
We help early stage startups with a tech-specific Diversity & Inclusion toolkit that has everything they need to set their foundations for healthy, gender diverse growth. We give a startup accreditation that acknowledges their pledge to building a gender equitable and balanced business.
Learn more about our startup toolkit and accreditation →
Consult with Project F
Project F has been working with organisations of all sizes and in all sectors for over six years, helping solve some of the most gnarly of challenges around diversity, equity and inclusion in technology. We provide a range of services from leadership advisory sessions to designing interview questions.
Get in touch →
Why is gender diversity in tech so important?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Project F is a social impact, for-profit business. Our charter aligns with Goal #5 (Gender Equality) of the 17 Sustainable Development targets defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out by the UN, and 2 main pillars of the Australian Government Women in STEM Decadal Plan – Supporting women in STEM careers & Making women in STEM visible.
Project F has a clear charter to tackle the egregiously low representation of women in technology. Each of the other underrepresented groups requires a unique approach to solve these issues and this isn’t what we specialise in.
We have deep knowledge and years of experience that are specific to the subculture of technology. Also, while focused on women in technology, the outcomes of our program result in a positive impact on all forms of diversity.
Technology is increasingly powering the world we live in and our future lives, and women should be a part of it, in terms of designing, building and leading (but currently are not). It is predicted that 70% of jobs by 2050 will be STEM-related. If we do not act now, gender equality and our economy will experience a dramatic setback.
Balanced teams are proven to be more creative, better at problem-solving and faster to innovate. These are all critical elements of creating great technology products and services. Diverse perspectives are also critical in representing the diversity in the world the technology is built to serve.
It’s well documented that girls are not readily being nurtured into STEM careers in many countries and cultures. This has resulted from a cultural history that dates back to the mid-1960s, when the first computers were built by IBM, before this, all computing was done by women.
IBM commissioned two psychologists to define a social profile of what a computer programmer should be and the two men came up with the profile of a socially inept man who liked puzzles and math but not people. That stereotype has pervaded the sector ever since and the world still generally caters for the male stereotypical “computer geeks” or “nerds”. You can find out more in our blog post here.
There have been a good number of women in technology’s history, including those who originally taught men how to program the first computers, through to the woman who wrote the code that put the first man safely on the moon. But today, systemic barriers for women in tech have lead to a lack of female leaders in the sector so girls don’t have the clear role models boys can look up to for inspiration (think Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs etc). A lack of representation, opportunities for promotion and inclusive culture drive more than 50% of women to leave the tech sector mid-career.
We address all these specifics aspects and systemic barriers within our accreditation process and work with you to get rid of them, one step at a time.
Look for organisations that are existing clients of Project F and/or are participating in the T-EDI Standards (www.tedistandards.com) from 2024. Other than that, most will still be plagued by the systemic detailers that cause 56% of women to quit technology mid-career, despite attractive window-dressing techniques and slick employer branding that can make them look wonderful. Look at their data on the WGEA website too where you can see their gender pay gap and other useful data points.
Talk to us and see how we can help
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