According to a recent news release, the new Action Collaborative on Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech is made up of 35 government, higher ed and nonprofit institutions and employers, who will collaborate on future efforts to bring more Black, Latina and Indigenous women into technology education and workforce training programs in order to make STEM fields more representative. The release said their work will be guided by the National Academies’ recent Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech report, which outlines recommendations for policymakers and industry leaders to increase recruitment and retention of women of color in tech-related fields. Among these are increasing funding for research into disparities in representation between different groups of color and for “alternate pathway programs” to get women of color into tech.
The news release added that the consortium will support joint research focusing on STEM workforce participation, and host workshops and other avenues for education and government leaders to exchange ideas for workforce development to increase STEM diversity.
“Women of color face amplified barriers and biases that can impede their progress and limit their opportunities in STEM and in tech,” Gilda Barabino, chair of the National Academies’ Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, said in a public statement. “Through this effort, we will work together to dismantle these barriers and foster an environment where every woman, regardless of her background, has the chance to thrive and contribute to cutting-edge developments in science and technology.”
According to the recent National Academies’ report, women of color make up 39 percent of the female population in the U.S. but earn less than 10 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 5 percent of doctorates in computing. It said women of color remain particularly underrepresented in tech fields, with Black women holding 3 percent of tech jobs, Latinas holding 1 percent and Native American/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women holding 0.3 percent. The report also noted that the percentage of women of color in some STEM fields has declined, despite recent efforts across the country to diversify STEM fields and change those trends.
“Changing the culture, climate, norms and values across the tech ecosystem requires cross-sector engagement and participation,” Jeena Thomas, director of the Action Collaborative, said in a public statement. “It is with this in mind that we hope more higher education, industry, national laboratories, government, and other organizations join us on this journey.”
More information on the collaborative and how to get involved is available on the Action Collaborative’s website.
