Companies need to do more to retain women in tech jobs, as half of women who enter the sector leave before age 35, a recent report found.
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The top reason young women are leaving tech is a lack of inclusive workplace culture, according to the report by consulting firm Accenture and nonprofit Girls Who Code. The loss of women hampers efforts to diversify an industry that is already predominantly white and male. To retain women, companies must launch broad initiatives, including encouraging parental leave, offering mentors and funding employee resource networks, the report found.
“When you’re down there, the biggest factor for women leaving tech is, ‘Is this a place where I fit?’” Gloria Samuels, a senior managing director at Accenture, said in a phone interview. “Is this a place where I can balance my life? Who values me? Is this a place where I can bring my whole self to work?”
Solving the problems that cause women to leave will be difficult if people can’t agree on the cause. There is a disconnect between how companies and their employees view the situation with women, the report found.
