Fostering Equity in Technology: Addressing Intersectionality and Retention for Marginalized People in Tech With Rose Afriyie
Research and innovation hold the potential to drive societal progress and create a better world. The tech industry’s documented barriers to access and equity for marginalized people — particularly those who identify as women, trans, nonbinary, Black, Latina/e, Indigenous, and/or people of color — hinder their progress and limit their opportunities to contribute to this progress. To address this issue, Serwah (Rose) Afriyie’s report developed in partnership with GET Cities Chicago, “Technologist Retention at the Intersections,” outlines the key challenges faced by these groups within the tech industry and provides strategies to retain diverse talent and create an inclusive environment where all technologists can thrive.
Findings from the research show that through proper data collection, investment in affinity groups, and the creation of supportive managerial people and practices, we can build an inclusive environment that enables marginalized technologists to thrive in tech and to reach their full potential. In this Q&A, the report author, GET Cities Chicago Entrepreneur-in Residence Rose Afriyie, shares her expertise and offers insights on how to create a more equitable workplace for all. It is our hope that these efforts will spark meaningful conversations and lead to real progress in the tech industry.
What is your background in this space, and what led you to an interest in this topic?
I began my tech career in Chicago in 2013. In 2014 co-founded mRelief, an easy-to-use platform on web and by text to help Americans sign up for SNAP benefits. One of the things we decided early on is that we wanted to have a diverse technology team that didn’t look like many of the teams that were exclusively men. a Over the years, we built a technology organization that was powered by a team where women, transgender, nonbinary and Black and Brown leaders were in the majority . This experience inspired me to explore how well other organizations in the tech ecosystem were supporting underrepresented technologists and their workforces.
In particular, I was interested in the composition of companies in Chicago, where I became a founder and wanted to investigate whether other companies in the area were equally diverse and inclusive. Through my research, I discovered that there were significant disparities in the representation and treatment of historically marginalized technologists in the industry, which spurred me to become more actively involved in advocacy and education around these issues.
In doing this work it was a pleasure to do it alongside other organizations and individuals creating space for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech industry. I believe that these efforts are critical to building a more just and sustainable tech ecosystem that benefits all members of society, and I am committed to continuing this work in the years to come.
That’s amazing, and thank you for sharing! We find lived experience is often one of the strongest motivators and teachers and we always center our work around these insights. In this project in particular, what were the main findings of your research?
Our research found that compensation and opportunities for advancement were noted as significant factors for retention in the tech industry, with 67.7% and 65.3% of respondents citing these factors respectively. Additionally, 88.7% of respondents who stayed in their jobs reported working well with management.
However, the report also revealed important differences in retention reasons across different races, with Black technologists placing greater importance on issues of inclusion and belonging, along with managerial support than technologists of other demographics. Also, while slight, transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer technologists (71.7%) were retained in their role at lower rates than cisgender technologists (73%). This requires further exploration but also highlights the need for intersectional efforts to support the unique challenges and experiences of different groups.
An intersectional approach is so important when trying to diagnose what’s not working. Were there any surprising results you found?
Our research found that 51% of transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary technologists do not have someone they trust to help them develop a plan to get promoted, highlighting the need for mentorship and sponsorship programs for underrepresented groups. That’s a full majority and it should be alarming and inspire companies to look into this problem.
Also, mid-career women, transgender, and nonbinary technologists are least satisfied with advancement opportunities (54%), compared to entry-level (57%), intermediate (66.7%), and senior (64.5%) technologists. We know this is when a lot of marginalized people churn out of the industry, so this is another important opportunity for attention.
Additionally, while 76% of technologists who plan to stay in the field have someone they trust for career advice, respondents associated with affinity groups are 81% more likely to have trusted career mentors, highlighting the importance of continued investment in such programs.
Lastly, while we knew compensation was going to rank high, we were surprised that supportive management is crucial for retention, 88.7 percent of people who stay in their roles report that they work well with their manager. Conversely, those who indicate they plan to leave their role like their manager 22.6 percent less than those who stay.
Can you talk a little more about how you made sure these different communities were represented in the research?
My research team partnered with several affinity organizations that convene historically marginalized technologists, including Latinas in Tech Chicago, NSBE Chicago, Out in Tech Chicago, Muslim Women in Technology, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers in Chicago, and UserTesting One World Program. These partnerships, along with targeted digital marketing efforts and re-engagement, helped the team to capture the nuanced experiences of different subgroups within the trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer technologist community, as well as communities focused on specific racial identities. This was the only way to ensure we could identify specific areas of concern for different groups and targeted interventions to address these issues.
We love that! Everything we do is through partnership, as that’s truly the only way to expand and accelerate everyones’ collective work. Shifting gears to talk about the responsibility of tech companies themselves in this ecosystem, what kinds of recommendations would you give to tech companies in terms of retaining, advancing, and cultivating belonging for marginalized groups on their teams?
To better support marginalized technologists, tech companies should expand and maintain investments in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. While employee resource groups (ERGs) are one best practice, leaders can do more to collaborate with affinity groups, many of whom have robust national networks.
Additionally, tech companies should focus on providing support to employees transitioning to different roles in tech. More than a quarter of technologists surveyed knew they wanted to leave the role but not necessarily the field. Lateral retention could be a missed opportunity for organizations to help technologists thrive on other teams or in different capacities. Inclusive surveys that allow for race and gender data collection can aid tech companies in evaluating their progress towards equity and inclusion. It is crucial to resource managers to ensure they can support retention and create a diverse and inclusive workplace.
As a first step, tech companies can access resources such as LifeLabs Learning, The Management Center, Harvard Business Review, and Project Include. These organizations can help leaders develop strategies that equip managers with the skills they need to advance critical efforts to support not just retention but the positive experiences that lead to more holistic relationships in the workplace. By implementing these recommendations, tech companies can take significant strides towards creating an environment that welcomes and values all technologists.
All of that sounds so doable! We often find a lot of our work is just around demystifying the best next step in accelerating equity in tech. In addition to these types of recommendations, do you have any thoughts on why this type of research is so important? What kind of impact do you hope it has on the industry as a whole?
Through our research, we hope to empower tech companies to better understand the experiences of marginalized groups and make data survey collection more inclusive. Broadly speaking, investing in affinity groups and in employees in a managerial role can promote greater inclusivity and retention within organizations, leading to improved employee quality, productivity levels and workplace culture. By implementing these strategies, tech companies can reap immense benefits and perks, including increased employee satisfaction and retention.
But in order to get to the point of making these improvements, we need to ask the right questions. Most research doesn’t have a gender or racial lens, let alone an intersectional one that accounts for diversity amongst gender and race and includes everything and everyone all together. We all have multiple identities, and the tech industry and society at large all need better information about the experiences of people at these intersections in order to understand and solve for their unique challenges.
We couldn’t agree more. What do you think the future looks like for marginalized people in tech?
It is often said in data-driven technology organizations that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. I think this report is a step in really being able to help leaders in technology to get better at management and to abolish the catch-all buckets of “women” or “people of color.” Our identities are nested deeper than that and a lens of intersectionality can really help us get further underneath some of the retention or promotion problems we face, which will in turn get us closer to the solution.
Conclusion
We’re so grateful for Rose working with the GET Cities Chicago team last year and this quarter to conduct this research, lead the analysis and work cross functionally on the rollout to advance equity in tech. This report highlights the importance of understanding intersectionality and its implications for marginalized people in tech. We must act upon these findings and support surveys and analysis at the intersections and deeper investment in management and affinity groups.. With a focus on creating an environment that values all technologists regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, ability, parental status, or sexual orientation we can take significant strides towards making the field of technology more equitable. By implementing these recommendations, tech companies can create an environment that is diverse, inclusive and supportive and reap immense benefits in terms of employee satisfaction and retention. Let us take action now and make sure marginalized people have access to the same opportunities as their peers. Share this report with a leader you know in tech or reach out at info@getcities.org or to Rose directly at www.roseafriyie.com to work with us to bring more of these insights into the ecosystem.
