Diversity in computing

Diversity in computing refers to the representation and inclusion of underrepresented groups, such as women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals, in the field of computing. The computing sector, like other STEM fields, lacks diversity in the United States.
Despite women constituting around half of the U.S. population they still are not properly represented in the computing sector. Racial minorities, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians or Alaska Natives, also remain significantly underrepresented in the computing sector.
Two issues that cause the lack of diversity are:

Pipeline: the lack of early access to resources
Culture: exclusivity and discrimination in the workplace

The lack of diversity can also be attributed to limited early exposure to resources, as students who do not already have computer skills upon entering college are at a disadvantage in computing majors. There is also the issue of discrimination and harassment faced in the workplace which affects all underrepresented groups. For example, studies have shown that 50% of women reported experiencing sexual harassment in tech companies.
As technology is becoming omnipresent, diversity in the tech field could help institutions reduce inequalities in society. To make the field more diverse, organizations need to address both issues. There are multiple organizations and initiatives which are working towards increasing diversity in computing by providing resources, mentorship, support, and fostering a sense of belonging for minority groups such as EarSketch, Black Girls Code, and ColorStack. Institutions are also implementing strategies such as Summer Bridge programs, tutoring, academic advising, financial support, and curriculum reform to support diversity in STEM. Along with Institutions Educators can help cultivate a sense of confidence in underrepresented students interested in pursuing computing, such as emphasizing a growth mindset, rejecting the idea that some individuals have innate talent, and establishing inclusive learning environments.

Statistics

In 2019, women represented 50.8% of the total population of the United States, but made up only 25.6% of computer and mathematical occupations and 27% of computer and information systems manager occupations. African Americans represented 13.4% of the population, but held 8.4% of computer and mathematical occupations. Hispanic or Latino people made up 18.3% of the population, but constituted only 7.5% of the people in these jobs. Meanwhile, white people, standing at 60.4%-76.5% of the population of the United States, represented 67% of computer and mathematical occupations and 77% of computer and information systems manager occupations. Asians, representing 5.9% of the population, held 22% of computer and mathematical jobs and were 14.3% of all computer and information systems managers.
In 2021, women made up 51% of the total population aged 18 to 74 years old, yet only accounted for 35% of STEM occupations. Additionally, while individuals with disabilities made up 9% of the population, they accounted for 3% of STEM occupations. Hispanics, Blacks, and American Indians or Alaska Natives collectively only accounted for 24% of STEM occupations in 2021 while making up 31% of the total population.
In addition to occupational disparities, there are differences in representation in postsecondary science and engineering education. Women earning associate's or bachelor's degrees in science and engineering accounted for approximately half of the total number of degrees in 2020, which was proportional to their share of the population for the age range of 18 – 34 years. In contrast, women only accounted for 46% of science and engineering master's degrees and 41% of science and engineering doctoral degrees. Hispanics, Blacks, and American Indians or Alaska Natives as a group face a similar gap between their share of the population and proportion of degrees earned, with them collectively making up 37% of the college age population in 2021, yet only 26% of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering, 24% of master's degrees in science and engineering, and 16% of doctoral degrees in science and engineering awarded in 2020. On top of the degree gap, data indicates that only 38% of women who major in computer science actually end up working in the computer science field, in contrast to 53% of men.
A 2021 report indicates that approximately 57% of women working in tech responded that have experienced gender discrimination in the workplace in contrast with men, where approximately only 10% reported experiencing gender discrimination. Additionally, 48% of women reported experiencing discrimination over their technical abilities in contrast with only 24% of men reporting the same discrimination. The report also found that 48% of Black respondents indicated that they experienced racial discrimination in the tech workplace. Hispanic respondents followed at 30%, Asian/Pacific Islanders responded at 25%, Asian Indians responded at 23%, and White respondents followed them at 9%.
In a 2022 survey available on Stack Overflow, approximately 2% of all respondents identified either "in their own words" or "transgender." On top of that, approximately 16% of all respondents identified using an option other than "Straight/Heterosexual." Additionally, 10.6% of respondents identified as having a concentration and/or memory disorder, 10.3% identified as having an anxiety disorder, and 9.7% as having a mood or emotional disorder.
When it comes to career mobility, a 2022 report found that there is a gap in promotions given in the tech industry to women in comparison to men. The report found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 52 women were given the same promotion.

Factors contributing to underrepresentation

There are two reported reasons for the lack of participation of women and minorities in the computing sector. The first reason is the lack of early exposure to resources like computers, internet connections and experiences such as computer courses. Research shows that the digital divide acts as a factor; students who do not already have computer skills upon entering college are at a disadvantage in computing majors, and access to computers is influenced by demographics, such as ethnic background. The problem of lack of resources is compounded with lack of exposure to courses and information that can lead to a successful computing career. A survey of students at University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Howard University, two historically black universities, found that the majority of students were not "counseled about computer related careers" either before or during college. The same study found that fewer women than men had learned about computers and programming in high school. The researchers have concluded that these factors could contribute to lower numbers of women and minorities choosing to pursue computing degrees.
Another reported issue that leads to the homogeneity of the computing sector is the cultural issue of discrimination at the workplace and how minorities are treated. For participants to excel in a tech-related course or career, their sense of belonging matters more than pre-gained knowledge. That was reflected in “The Great Resignation” that took place in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey of 2,030 workers between the ages of 18 and 28 conducted in July 2021, the company found that 50% said they had left or wanted to their leave tech or IT job “because the company culture made them feel unwelcome or uncomfortable,” with a higher percentage of women and Asian, Black, and Hispanic respondents each saying they had such an experience. In most cases, the workplaces not only lack a sense of belonging but are also unsafe. Research conducted by Dice, a tech career hub, showed that more than 50% of women faced sexual harassment in tech companies. A pilot program that was done to understand different elements that affect minorities during a STEM course showed that increased mentorship and support was an important factor for the completion of the course.
One of the biggest factors halting the increase of diversity in STEM education is awareness. Many experts feel that increasing awareness is a strong first step towards enacting change at a higher level. One of the most common outreach methods are on campus workshops at colleges. These workshops are effective because they instill awareness into people who are just coming into the field and learning about the field to foster inclusivity. Students leaving a workshop at a West Virginia university reported that they were unaware of the problems facing diverse people in STEM, particularly people with disabilities.

Effects on different groups

Black People

Gaming

Black gamers are put into unique positions when it comes to entering spaces of gaming, for when they are represented incorrectly whilst constantly at risk of being harassed for a wide variety of reasons. Whenever they are represented, which is not as often as is what occurs in the real world, it typically comes at the price of being stereotyped into typically two categories: being an athlete, a criminal, or both. If they decide to call out these issues, there is typically heavy backlash for their actions. One such example comes from The Sims community. When its black player base call out issues about various hair texture representations, enter Sims community spaces, or see storylines about black sims members, they typically faced racial attacks, microagressions, or see storylines of characters that looked like them that were based on prevalent stereotypes of black people. The solution to their issues did not come from the creators, but rather groups of black Sims players coming together to make their own spaces in order to have somewhere to go to. Moreover, Black content creators have a unique space within the gaming world: they need to maintain a level of being black that allows people to be comfortable with watching their content, but in creating who they are as creators, they are inherently creating spaces for racialized comments against them that fills their comment sections. Moreover, whenever they do ask for bigger changes, companies take on a race-blind approach to ignoring the problems within the communities they are allowing to exist. When black people are included, it’s mostly because the games being played are inherently included in African American culture, and often considered “diversity nights” for black creators.