The vast under representation of women and people of color in IT is most often attributed to racial and gender disparities within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational pipeline, despite research documenting hidden biases within workplaces that produce unequal outcomes by race and gender. While disparities in the STEM pipeline must be addressed, the multifaceted problem of under representation within the IT sector will not be solved without also examining how company practices and culture impact the recruitment, hiring, workplace experiences, and retention of women and people of color.
To examine the under representation of women and people of color in IT through a hidden bias framework, the Level Playing Field Institute (LPFI) conducted The Tilted Playing Field: An Examination of Hidden Bias in Information Technology Workplaces study. LPFI collected anonymous survey data from 645 engineers and managers at both large IT companies and small start ups across the country.
