What We’ve Learned

Tech’s representation crisis has deeper roots than you think.

Since Reboot Representation was founded in late 2018, we’ve been laser focused on one goal: increasing the number of Black, Latina, and Native American women who are graduating with computing bachelor’s degrees as a means to diversify the vibrant and influential but largely homogeneous tech industry.

We’re not alone in this. Our corporate coalition partners, who pool philanthropic funds to invest in the programs and institutions that support our goal, are passionate about this issue. Our grantees, those very same programs and institutions, work day in and day out to support Black, Latina, and Native American women from high school to college and into the workforce. Other advocacy organizations (AnitaB, CodePath.org, Code2040, blackcomputeHER, Native Girls Code, digitalundivided, and NCWIT, to name a few) offer education, programming, and financial support. And this list doesn’t even start to account for the thousands of tech employees and leaders who want to see and influence change.

So, with all this passion and all these resources and all these actors working towards a shared goal, why haven’t we seen substantial progress in tech? And, more importantly, what will it take to get there? Of course, the answer is complicated, and our focus on computing degrees is just one piece of the puzzle. But after a couple years of working with corporate leaders, advocacy leaders, on-the-ground program managers, and students, we wanted to share how our understanding of this issue has grown. Our goals are simple:

1. We want to strengthen collective understanding of the lack of representation in computing.
2. We want to share the solutions we see having the most impact.

So with those goals in mind, we’re ready to dive in, starting with some sobering realities.

Black, Latina, and Native American women: 17% of the population, 4% of computing majors.

Let’s start with the bad news. In 2019, there were about 92,500 bachelor’s degrees in computing granted in the US. Black, Latina, and Native American women (who make up almost 17% of the US population) only received 3,968 of them. That’s about 4%. When you further disaggregate those degrees by race and gender, the numbers are even more stark.

Data from the NCES (https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/)

Let’s put those numbers in perspective: the Golden Gate Bridge carries about 112,000 cars every day. The average NFL stadium seats almost 70,000. Madison Square Garden seats 20,000 for just a single event. For a national total, 3,968 is miniscule. And, even as that small number has crept up (as you can see with the bolded numbers in the yellow column), the share of the total number of degrees is stagnant around 4%. Put another way, as computing majors become more and more popular, Black, Latina, and Native American women’s participation in computing is not growing as fast as other populations’. The percentage stays stubbornly low.

Part of what keeps this number depressed is that access to computing is not great. As of September 2019, only 45% of US high schools offered computer science — and schools that serve majority Black, Latino, Native American, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students are less likely to offer computer science. You can find entire states in this country where not a single Black woman took either the AP Computer Science A or P exam in 2020.

So, obviously, there’s an equity issue here. Computer science availability impacts if and how students across the country pursue computing later in their academic careers. But access is just one part of the equation. As we explored recently in a Dear Tech Companies post, if a computer science class popped up in every high school in the country tomorrow, there’s no guarantee that students would sign up. We can create endless entry points and hackathons and after-school programs — and we should. But what happens if/when students show up and aren’t welcomed? Or, just as critically, what if they don’t feel welcome? How can students with no exposure and little representation find their way into an industry that has historically not been “for” them?

Identity and belonging are just as important as access.

Let’s get one thing clear. Reboot focuses specifically on Black, Latina, and Native American women, but this group is not a monolith and “women of color” don’t have identical experiences. But, at the highest level, there are some powerful shared barriers that keep these women out of computing.

Intersectional identity has become a household concept, and, for our work at the intersection of race and gender equity in tech, this is big. Societal progress on what it means to hold multiple intersecting identities is a win; but a better understanding of the issue doesn’t mean that it’s going away. Overcoming barriers at the intersection of race and gender is hard — not only because of access and exposure shortcomings, but because of what it means to belong. This quote from The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett rings true:

“People thought that being one of a kind made you special. No, it just made you lonely. What was special was belonging with someone else.”

The need to consider belonging won’t be news to some of you, but we are consistently astonished by how deep and pervasive its roots are. Perceived and actual feelings of not belonging start young and don’t let up. From a gender lens, research shows that girls as young as six have internalized gender stereotypes about their intelligence and ability. It’s been shown that women avoid STEM majors because they are concerned about anticipated gender bias — one reason why women make up only 11% of the tech workforce. From a race lens, Claude Steele’s groundbreaking research addresses “stereotype threat,” which he defines as “the threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype, or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm that stereotype.” When students believe that their academic performance will reflect on their racial identity, pressure grows exponentially — and students perform poorly.

These barriers compound. As a result, very few Black, Latina, and Native American women enter college or even high school thinking that the perceived academic rigor and notorious homogeneity of computing is “for” them. Women of color switch out of STEM degree tracks at higher rates than other competitive degree tracks because they often anticipate feelings of exclusion and discrimination. And for women who do stay in computing, that sense of belonging gets more elusive. Think about what “belonging” means. One definition is “to be a member of a particular group.” In other words, one way to feel that you belong is when there are others just like you. Then consider the numbers. Only 53 Native American women graduated with computing degrees in 2019. How can you feel like you belong when it’s hard to find your people?

If we want to make any meaningful progress, we have to address belonging as much as we address access and exposure.

We’re seeing a lot to be hopeful about.

Remember how we said the numbers were small? That fact is undeniable. Across the country, in thousands of classrooms and offices and departments, Black, Latina, and Native American women are what Shonda Rhimes has called “F.O.D.s” — “First Only Different.” That can make strengthening identity and belonging hard.

But, there’s hope. We know that identity formation is possible. We see it happen all the time. Parenthood isn’t part of an identity before having a kid. For years, new mothers and fathers may not really identify as a parent. But suddenly, at some point, that identity is integral and seamless. People form, shape, and influence their identities in countless ways: developing relationships, picking up hobbies, exploring spirituality, moving to new cities or countries. We know that, even though every person’s experience is deeply individual and entrenched, and that even though systemic racism is powerful, we can do this.

We’re learning what works to build identity and belonging in computing. It’s more than technical skill and expertise. It’s mentorship. It’s targeted support. It’s community building. It’s celebration. It’s relationships. These components chip away at the loneliness, isolation, and intentional or unintentional exclusion that has long characterized the experiences of Black, Latina, and Native American women in computing. Our grantees are leading the way in showing us what’s possible. Across the country, in those classrooms and offices and departments we mentioned earlier, their programs and initiatives are reaching thousands, building a path to a more inclusive future:

• UNCF has created the Black Females Moving Forward (BFF) in Computing scholarship to offer academic support, professional development, mentorship, and community to Black women majoring in computing.
• Rewriting the Code is growing a welcoming, intersectional, virtual community of over 10,000 students from over 700 schools that will become the next generation of tech leaders. Affinity groups like Black Wings and Latinas de RTC help to ensure that more women find peers with shared backgrounds.
• AI4ALL is continuing an alumni program called Changemakers in AI and launching an alumni affinity group called Hues of Changemakers. The Hues of Changemakers affinity group will provide specialized programs for Black, Latina, and Native American women.
• The Information Technology Senior Management Forum is continuing the Emerge Mentorship Program, which pairs Black female college students with technology professionals.
• AISES and Women of Color in Computing Collaborative are Expanding Computer Science Opportunities for Native Girls by creating culturally relevant curriculum aligned with tribal cultural values, vision, and goals for sovereignty.
• The University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with California Community Colleges are establishing the Pathways to Computing for Women of Color program to develop a community college to 4-year bachelor initiative to recruit and retain Black, Latina, and Native American women in computing.

And even though the numbers are still small, the landscape is changing for the better. Elementary school access is improving. High school access is improving, too. The introduction of AP CS Principles four years ago has diversified the field in a meaningful way, drawing more female, Black, and Latino students than other AP computing exams. It’s a stepping stone for students who may not have thought of themselves as CS students.

Most importantly, we see that more and more people in the field are not thinking in a vacuum about computer science. They are thinking about equity, access, accessibility, cultural relevance, support structures, and identity at the same time. We need to invest in these solutions to see the change we’re working towards. At Reboot, we’re committed to doing just that.

This is just the beginning of the learning, sharing, and growing we’ll be doing, and we hope you’ll stay tuned in to our progress. In the meantime, if you want to continue the conversation, get in touch via our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Medium, and Twitter.