MIS Quarterly Executive invited Kristen Lamoreaux and Caren Shiozaki to respond to MISQE’s December 2024 article “Do Women Make Less Than Men in IT? Yes and No!” Lamoreaux is President of Lamoreaux Search, an executive search firm focused on technology leadership. She is also the founder of SIM Women, a national organization that works to boost female representation in IT leadership positions. Shiozaki has held various C-suite roles over the past two decades, including recently serving as an interim CEO overseeing a business restructuring. She has also sat on numerous industry and philanthropic boards. Read More

Abstract According to a report released in 2023 by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), there is a significant gender pay gap of 21% among full-time workers in the information technology (IT) sector. We examine the gender pay disparity in the IT sector by analyzing a secondary data set. Our findings suggest that female salaries average $110,496 per year while male salaries average $119,418 per year, constituting an 8% gap. Furthermore, there is a notable disparity in wages between men and women in the age range of 35 to 64. This indicates that women may face unequal opportunities as they progress through their IT careers. Research conducted by leading business publications has highlighted the significant impact of the gender wage gap on job satisfaction and the subsequent increase in the likelihood of women leaving their positions. This concerning trend further exacerbates the already low representation of women in the IT industry. We delve into the implications of our findings for current and future IT leaders and human resources departments. Read More

Lean In and McKinsey & Company released their 10th annual Women in the Workplace study. The report card for corporate America is mixed – and declining commitment is cause for concern. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 — 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 Women today make up 29% of C-suite positions, compared to just 17% in 2015 But the pipeline is not as healthy as the numbers suggest  • Progress in the C-suite is mostly due to companies adding, on average, a staff role (such as CHRO) and hiring a woman into this new position • Only 7% of women of color hold C-suite jobs • The Broken Rung has not improved. This year, for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women were – back in 2018, it was 79 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Companies have invested in important fundamentals  • Far more companies offer supports for parents and caregivers than they did a decade ago • Companies have put more practices in place to de-bias hiring and promotions – almost 60% use diverse slates and sending bias reminders However, companies’ efforts to create a more inclusive culture are falling short  • 9 in 10 companies now offer bias or allyship training, but employees are no more likely to act as allies to women of color or recognize bias against women than they were 5 years ago – just 28% of women and 11% of men say they see bias • Companies have prioritized career advancement and inclusion with managers, but only half of managers consistently promote women’s contributions and encourage respectful behavior  𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 Women’s daily interactions look largely like they did in 2015 • Women are still more likely than men to have their competence undermined – they 2x as likely to be interrupted and mistaken for being more junior • Women of color, LGBTQ women and women with disabilities face more demeaning interactions  More than 1 in 3 women experience sexual harassment – and this number has not improved 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 – 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 Companies’ commitment to gender and racial diversity has declined for the first time in years Companies are investing less in career development and recruiting programs that address the challenges of women and women of color  As we look ahead to the next ten years, our ask of companies is simple: keep going.  Read the Full Report To learn more, visit leanin.org/wiw and follow Lean In and our EIC Caroline Fairchild