Pinning Down the Jellyfish: The Workplace Experiences of Women of Color in Tech

Abstract

This report is a quantitative and qualitative study of the experiences of women of color in computing. In partnership with the Kapor Center and the Center for Gender and Equity in Science and Technology, the Center for WorkLife Law examined how bias plays out in the computing profession. We studied basic patterns of bias, how bias plays out in both informal workplace interactions and formal workplace systems, outcomes related to bias, and sexual harassment. This report reflects the experiences of 216 responses to the Workplace Experiences Survey as reflected in a 10-minute survey designed to pick up how bias plays out in the workplace. The quantitative survey data is supplemented by qualitative data in the form of survey comments and one-on-one interviews. Our study focuses on the experiences of women of color, and how those experiences are similar and different in different racial and ethnic groups, and by gender identity, sexual orientation, and first generation status.