Author:
Joan C. Williams, Center for WorkLife Law, University of
California Hastings Law
Study Team:
Rachel Korn, Sky Mihaylo, Rachel Maas

Policy Memo #8

Managing Bias impedes productivity of Women of Color
in the tech workplace
SUMMARY

Despite efforts to encourage more Women of Color (WOC) to pursue STEM majors including initiatives to address pipeline
issues and create internship opportunities, WOC remain underrepresented in STEM careers. While mentorship has largely
been touted as a leading strategy for retaining minorities in tech, understanding the distinct experiences of WOC in the
workplace may lead to better, more targeted interventions to increase career satisfaction and retention. Emerging data from
a new study by researchers at University of California Hastings highlights specific ways WOC in computing experience the
tech workplace and disaggregates these experiences by race and ethnicity. WOC in tech are spending more time and effort
just navigating the workplace and are less likely to report being able to do their best work (3.44 for WOC vs 4.63 for White
women, on a 6 point Likert scale). Additional patterns of bias, such as having to put in more work and effort to be respected
and to succeed in the workplace and needing to change their appearance to fit in, were reported by all WOC in the study
but experiences differed by racial and ethnic group. Managing biases are detrimental for WOC and employers alike, with
disengaged employees costing employers 34% of their annual salaries. The research team recommends that organizations
address these issues by using Bias Interrupters to create more equitable workplace experiences. Productivity thrives in
environments where all employees feel welcome and are able to contribute their talents without hindrance.

Study data includes 12 in-depth interviews and a survey of 215 women, 186 WOC
Lo rem ipsu m dolor si t am et ,consectetuer adipiscing el it, sed dia m n onumm y nibh euism od t incidunt u t lao re et dolore m ag na aliqua m erat volut pat. U t w isi enim ad minim v eniam, quis nostr ud exer ci t atio n ulla mcorper suscipi t lobortis nisl ut aliquip e x e a commodo consequat . Duis aute m vel eu m iriure dolo r in hendrer it in vulputate veli t e sse molest ie cons equat, vel il lum dolore eu feugiat nulla fa cil isis at v ero eros eta c cu ms an et iusto odio dignissim quiblandit pra e sent luptatum zzril deleni t augue duis dolore te feugai t null a facilisi.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
Lorem ipsum

• During interviews, WOC expressed feeling invisible
and isolated at work, being under-leveled, and
pushed into management rather than technical
positions

“I’ve constantly been slotted into admin roles
even though I have a Master’s degree and have
been physically looked past SO many times.”

• Hispanic and Latinx women stated that after having
children, their commitment and competence were
questioned in the workplace to a higher degree than
other WOC

~ South Asian Woman

• WOC also spoke about extra, often unpaid, labor
they are expected to do like mentoring and Diversity
and Inclusion work.
• Likert Scale data shows:
• East Asian women reported more pushback for
assertive behavior than other WOC

“We’re always looked at as, ‘Why did you
deserve it?’ Not because I have the brain
power to support me being in the role. It
doesn’t matter how well I perform; I feel like
I have to go above and beyond.”
~ African American Woman

• Black women reported being demeaned or
disrespected at work more than other WOC

East Asian women reported the highest
average levels of bias
For questions, please contact Joan C. Williams, williams@uchastings.edu
• https://www.pregnantatwork.org/ • https://biasinterrupters.org/