General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNo blacks or women allowed? Google Workforce Breakdown Shows White Males Dominate At Tech Giant
[img][/img]
Google has struggled to diversity its workforce in a sector dominated by white males, which was evident in the breakdown, showing that 70-percent of their total workers are male, and 61-percent are white.
Male workers described as working within Googles tech sector dominated even further, representing 83-percent of those employees.
The Mountain View-based company is a dominating force in the tech industry, attracting the best and brightest, and the breakdown sheds light on the issue of creating a diverse workforce.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/05/28/white-men-technology-workers-bay-area-silicon-valley-google-workforce-breakdown-shows-white-males-dominate-in-tech/
NobodyHere
(2,810 posts)I'm in a computer science program.
Gotta get the degree first.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)Why would we be concerned that google employes 61% white?
It seems like whites are represented appropriately, while males are represented somewhat disproportionately and Asians are represented extremely disproportionately, compared to national demographics.
YoungDemCA
(5,714 posts)The numbers included Googles global workforce, and didnt include a breakdown of the U.S. demographics.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)Also, for LeftMom, Google is based in CA but has countless offices all over the USA.
http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/locations/
And 50% of tech jobs in Silicone Valley are held by Asians according to statistics I have read.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)And of course everywhere is roughly 51% female, and Google's workforce is 70% male.
Google is based in CA but has countless offices all over the USA.
http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/locations/
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)JJChambers
(1,115 posts)If their demographics were compiled from California, you would have a point: as it is you're trying to stir the pot by being shady about your data.
Conservative tactics.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Instead their workforce looks less diverse than the country as a whole.
And you're skipping the gender demographic entirely, to nobody's surprise. A 70% male workforce is a sign of a problem unless you're hiring in Vatican City.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)I said that men were over represented, just not whites, based on the national demographics.
Silicone valley tech jobs are held by 50% Asians. Is that a sign of the demographics of people who choose the tech industry, racism, or other factors?
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Whites are enormously overrepresented. Google has 20,000 employees in Mountain View alone, and their next biggest facility is in NYC. So their population is much, much, much whiter than their environment.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Pretty close to their actual percentage of white employees. The difference would be accounted for by offices elsewhere.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Tech companies set up shop there because it was cheap. Then they priced the people who lived there out.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)And 1980? 80% white. So it seems that, if anything, Google has made the city more diverse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View,_California#2000
http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/MountainView70.htm
Always dangerous to make up facts in the internet era.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)You're not familiar with the area, are you?
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)bullshit
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)My point was that whites aren't over represented. Men are, absolutely.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)I believe these folks were the first employees.
devils chaplain
(602 posts)LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)By comparison, California's population is 38% Latino/a. Needless to say, Google's workforce does not resemble the demographics of their home state.
And of course the population is roughly 51% female everywhere, but Google's workforce is 70% male.
Ecumenist
(6,086 posts)wrong and that is just the way things fall in the world. Such a shame... AND pathetic.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)It's fucked up.
mwrguy
(3,245 posts)Using money instead of guns.
devils chaplain
(602 posts)I think underrepresentation of blacks, Latinos, and women is more an industry-wide phenomenon than a company one. I suspect it's more a function of tech grads being white and Asian men rather than of discrimination by Google.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)If the population of qualified folks doesn't resemble the local population in any way what are they doing to fix that? I mean, we're talking about a company that has the money and foresight to build mysterious barges and robot cars and weird shit like that. They can't set up some tech programs for young people in Richmond or something? Come on.
devils chaplain
(602 posts)A lot of these tech jobs require at minimum a Bachelor's-level knowledge base, and those Bachelor's degrees are dependent upon a solid high school level math foundation. The best way to help diversify tech is to improve our primary public educational system.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Is that explained by sexism in hiring, or are there other factors in play?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)How come blah blah blah.
The usual.
Response to alcibiades_mystery (Reply #10)
Nye Bevan This message was self-deleted by its author.
Throd
(7,208 posts)IoNP
(29 posts)Dun dun dun....
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)the very tangible realities of prejudice, both personal & structural, notwithstanding. One thing we need to focus on, is education, particularly of less fortunate neighborhoods; there is, I honestly believe, a lot of untapped potential in places where you might normally least expect(Southeast L.A., Detroit, or a trailer park in rural Tennessee, for example). And I stand by that 100%.
madville
(7,410 posts)In the technical fields. I have worked in electronics my whole life, mainly radio communications and radar. I've worked the entire range of employment options, military, Feds, contractors, private companies, etc.
The entire field is about 90% white and 90% male in my experience. Most technicians are white males and most engineers as well with the exception of a sizable chunk imported from Asia/India.
Why is it not very diverse when it comes to gender or race? I really don't know now that I think about it, the opportunities seem to be there. As a manager at times sorting through resumes the pool is usually white and male, can't recall ever even reviewing a resume from a female now that I think about it.
The big question is how do get minorities and females to WANT to be weird and nerdy electronics technicians/electrical engineers in the first place?
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)I'd guess my company is 95% white guys. We're an engineering services firm. We have one black guy, one Indian, one hispanic. WE have 3 women on the technical staff. Probably 60-70 white guys including me. This is NOT due to racism or sexism that I can detect. When we post a job, that's the mix of the people who apply. I haven't seen a black female engineer in a long time.
EvolveOrConvolve
(6,452 posts)We've had 5 or 6 job openings in the last year on my team(a group of software engineers), and among those openings only one applicant was female. America does a terrible job of fostering STEM skills among elementary school age girls, and by the time college comes around they've decided on more "suitable" career aspirations, probably because there's a certain element of society that actively discourages females from seeking employment in those fields. It's really, really sad.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Is there sexism in hiring going on here? Is there perhaps a "certain element of society" that actively discourages males from seeking employment in this field?
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Raise the H-1 visa cap.
Anansi1171
(793 posts)Crabby Appleton
(5,231 posts)According to the Computer Research Association
http://cra.org/govaffairs/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CRA_Taulbee_CS_Degrees_and_Enrollment_2011-12.pdf
"The fraction of women among bachelors graduates in CS increased to 12.9 percent in 2011-12, compared to 11.7 percent in 2010-11."
see table 5 for breakdown by ethnicity
64% White
16% Asian
4.5% Black
6.3 Hispanic