Girls in Tech’s “Half the Board” Campaign Calls For Gender Parity in Tech Boardrooms by 2025

Nickie Louise Posted On March 8, 2021

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We need more women in boardrooms. That is the mandate made today, on International Women’s Day, by Girls in Tech. Members of the nonprofit’s board have sent an open letter to tech leaders demanding change.

Today, Girls in Tech, a global nonprofit working to erase the gender gap in tech, calls upon organizations to commit to gender parity in their boardrooms by 2025. Half the Board: 50/50 by 2025 asks organizations and individuals to commit to taking action to ensure women comprise at least 50 percent of corporate boards in the technology industry. The campaign launched today as part of the organization’s efforts supporting Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

A recent McKinsey & Company study found that women, more frequently than men, exhibit leadership traits that are highly applicable to future global challenges, including displaying inspiration, participative decision making, expectations and rewards, people development, and role modeling. Furthermore, another McKinsey & Company report finds “gender diversity is correlated with both profitability and value creation.” Both reports demonstrate the necessity of companies to add women to the boardroom, both for the sake of fairness and the well-documented, positive financial impact on the bottom line that comes with diverse workplaces.

Compounding historical obstacles facing women in tech are new challenges brought by the global COVID-19 pandemic that risk eliminating decades worth of progress in the gender equality movement. The soon-to-be-released Girls in Tech 2021 study, “The Tech Workplace for Women in the Pandemic,” found alarmingly high rates of burnout among working women with male bosses, with 85% of female respondents working at organizations where the top executive is male reporting being burned out, compared to just 15% where the top executive is female.

It’s become clear that the problems can only be fixed at the highest levels and that starts with Half the Board, and erasing gender disparity in tech boardrooms by Dec. 31, 2024.

“Systemic institutional bias has held women back from the boardroom far too long,” said Adriana Gascoigne, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Girls in Tech. “We must not relent until employers take actionable behavior to achieve true equality for women. The business world, and particularly the tech sector, have stymied efforts to allow women to the top of the corporate ladder. We need to do more to support women in the workplace, and Half the Board marks the beginning of accountable advocacy.”

The Half the Board open letter to the tech community:

March 8, 2021

Dear Members of the Tech Community,

Women in the workplace will continue to be undervalued and underpaid until there is 50/50 gender parity in boardrooms. It’s time to demand Half the Board in the tech industry and put a deadline on it: December 31, 2024.

It’s that simple.

Empty statements and performative initiatives will never erase the systemic institutional bias holding women back in the workplace. For too long, the business world — and particularly the tech sector — has stymied efforts to allow women to the top of the corporate ladder.

Change will only happen when disparities are corrected at the highest levels.

It starts with Half the Board and the pledge to end the gender disparity in tech boardrooms.

A recent McKinsey & Company study suggests that women exhibit leadership traits for tackling future global challenges at a higher rate than men. When examining the relative importance of these leadership traits, women were observed to outnumber men in frequently displaying inspiration, participative decision making, expectations and rewards, people development, and role modeling.

Yet women only make up 30% of boards. Yet women with PhDs in mathematics and computer sciences report median salaries of $101,500 while men report $125,000.

Half the Board = no more empty promises.

True diversity in the boardroom is the only way to meaningfully improve work conditions and ensure equality for women and other underrepresented communities.

Please join Girls in Tech in calling on tech companies to commit to fixing their corporate board structure to comprise 50% or more women by December 31, 2024.

That’s a little less than four years. The average board appointment term is eight years, so there are more than enough upcoming vacancies for companies to achieve this goal.

Gender parity in the boardroom will not happen on its own. We can’t do it without you.

Add your name now, make the pledge to Half the Board and help end systemic discrimination in tech boardrooms. Follow our progress on Twitter and LinkedIn. Then encourage your CEO, colleagues and friends to also make the pledge. Don’t be afraid to speak up and advocate for this important cause.

The Girls in Tech board members below have signed the “Half the Board” pledge in their personal capacity. We ask that you join us on this journey by adding your name.

With Gratitude,

Adriana Gascoigne

Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Girls in Tech

Sandy Carter*

Chairman of the Board, Girls in Tech

Jonathan Abrams*