Nearly two-thirds of women in tech say their ideas are ignored until a man repeats them, study shows

Impact

The job search site Dice published a survey of 3,993 professionals (over 1,200 men and 500 women) questioning them about discrimination in the workforce. Unfortunately, their findings aren’t shocking.

According to the study, 62% of women found their ideas were ignored until repeated by men. More than one-third of women, or 38%, were on the receiving end of inappropriate comments on their appearance. More than 1 in 10 women have been told they got their job because of their gender.

There will be 1.4 million jobs in computer science in 2020, according to Dice. Of those roles, women are on track to fill 3% of them. If these numbers look bleak, you’re not alone in feeling hopeless: 63% of women surveyed don’t see things getting any better for women in leadership in this calendar year.

Repeated jabs that aren’t constructive criticism about work performance are often coupled with larger issues like lack of promotions and sexual harassment. Being ignored in meetings, hit on outside of meetings and paid less overall for their work — among other deterrents — can often stand in the way of women joining the technology force.

Dice’s study accounted for other underrepresented groups in tech as well. The only type of discrimination tech employees noted seeing or experiencing more than gender discrimination was age discrimination. According to the study, 76% of those polled said that ageism in tech roles exists around the world. The majority of 40- to 55-year-olds were worried that their age would limit their job opportunities. (Dice’s stats call to mind the ongoing investigation into IBM, which was accused of laying off its older workers.)

The study also includes those belonging to LGBTQ communities, 40% of whom say that sexual orientation discrimination exists in the workplace. Only 15% of heterosexual individuals agree.