Betsy Sutter, Chief People Officer, VMware sits down with Lisa Martin at Women Transforming Technology 2018 in Palo Alto, CA. #WT2SV #theCUBE https://siliconangle.com/2018/06/01/stanford-and-vmware-invest-15-million-to-fight-techs-gender-bias-problem-wt2sv/ Stanford and VMware invest $15 million to fight tech’s gender bias problem ‘In order to innovate, you have to be inclusive’ The number of women currently working computing jobs is 25 percent, and only 11 percent hold executive roles in the tech industry, according to the National Center for Women & Technology. On average, women under age 25 earn 29 percent less than their male peers. “Research shows that the progress, in terms of moving women into leadership, has all but stalled. … If we just sit back and wait, we’re not going to see … gender equality in our lives, our daughter’s lives,” Correll said. Tech poses unjust challenges to women through biases in education, recruiting and career advancement. In one practice termed the “motherhood penalty,” women are deemed less suitable for roles if they are perceived as being mothers during the hiring process. “Our research found that if you take a resume for a woman and … add in subtle information that she’s a mother … that people are 100 percent less likely to recommend her for hire,” Correll said. This prejudice is likely based on a belief that a woman’s familial commitment will preclude her from professional obligations, a judgement not leveraged against fathers in the industry. “People see fathers as more committed to the job than childless men. … Parenthood works differently for men and women in the workplace. … One of the barriers we want to get past is the effects of biases on how people are evaluated,” Correll said. Women continue to suffer the effects of biases long after initial recruiting evaluation. Data shows that women are leaving technical roles at a rate of 50 percent at the mid-career level, according to Percival. Despite the commonly held belief that they are leaving to raise families, new reports reveal a more disconcerting truth behind the turnover. “A big reason women leave tech … is they don’t feel like they’re supported in the workplace. … If you’re in a workplace where you constantly feel your talent is not being appreciated, that’s one way you quickly don’t feel included as a technical worker,” Correll said. While the harmful effects of a lack of inclusivity at an individual level are enough to inspire change, the negative impact of inequality doesn’t end at the employee. Hiring and management biases point to inefficient talent assessments, which means the best employees may not be receiving appropriate opportunities to benefit from the success of their company. Companies with diversity at the executive level are 21 percent more profitable, according to research from McKinsey & Co. “In order to innovate, you have to be inclusive. … Companies are starting to understand that if you don’t have diversity, you’re not going to have innovation, and you’re not going to win,” Sutter said. Watch the complete video interview with Betsy Sutter below: