Imani Moore

Dr. Cuddy

Written Communications II

March 27, 2019

Mistreatment Within Technological Companies

Computer science is not the most diverse field. It is male oriented and most of those men

are white or asian. Computer science lacks diversity in schools and culture in professional

workforces. Certain races, such as people of color, and females face employment rejection when

working for technological companies, like Apple and Facebook. By understanding the

mistreatment people face, readers will understand that anyone can be successful and can

contribute greatness to any company they choose to work for.

Technology is taking over the world, so it has become a very interesting topic. Billions of

people use social media apps, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, so many tend to wonder

how they all work. People’s interest grows from there and it makes them want to study computer

science. Studying computer science at an HBCU is a little different. With that being said, most

people’s peers are black, but they are majority male. Many young girls are not encouraged to be

interested in computer science like young boys are. Girls are not told that they would be good at

computer science nor are they told about computer science events or occasions that happen

outside of school(Guyunn). Organizations are made for girls, like Black Girls Code and Girls

Who Code, but society’s powerful aura continues to put females down when wanting to pursue

computer science. Girls receive little support just because they are females.
 Like mentioned before, white males are one of the races that are dominant in this field,

yet statistics show that black students are 1.5 times more into computer science than white

students (Guyunn). Back in 2015, a major tech company only hired five percent of blacks and

five percent of hispanics, while the rest were white and asian males. Other races face

discrimination when they are the ones that have genuine interest for computer science. Black and

hispanic parents want their children to learn about computer science, but they do not have the

same tools to look more into it compared to white students. According to the article “Stemming

inequality? Employment and pay of female and minority scientists and engineers”, Asians

performance quality makes computer science and​ ​ other science fields attractive to them, making

them receive higher pay(Lewis and Oh). Parents want their children to be able to go chase their

dreams without having to worry if they will not get picked for a job or internship just because

they do not look like the majority.

Not only is it wrong to get judged based off looks, but it is also illegal to do so when it

comes to applying for a job. Sadly people still feel as though they are entitled or better than the

next person who does not look like them. The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that

nobody can discriminate against race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Massachusetts

Institute of Technology observed that women face unintentional discrimination when comes to

studying science in general and that they underrepresented in science(Ginther). Although

numerous women have the brains and are very capable of being successful in science fields,

women get teased by male professors at their colleges or graduate schools and it makes them feel

low about themselves(Brush). According to the article “Who’s Computing? Gender and Race

Differences in Young Adults’ Decisions to Pursue an Information Technology Career”, minority

races are not as likely to pursue computer science because of social norms(Malanchuk and

Zarrett, pg. 3). “Geeks” are looked at as the ones to be interested in a field like computer science

because they look smarter. Whether someone wears glasses or not, they can be interested in

whatever they choose to be interested in.

Focusing on diversity within computer science is important because it has become an

issue within the last few years. Technological companies and society put so much emphasis on

race and gender roles that it is hindering people from doing what makes them happy. People are

capable of being successful in this field no matter they are or where they come from. If

companies continue to keep themselves in a bubble, their brand will never grow. They need to be

open-minded and allow people to showcase their intelligence.

 Bibliography

Brush, Stephen G. “Women in Science and Engineering.” ​Women in Science and Engineering,​

1991.

Ginther, and Donna K. “Does Science Discriminate Against Women? Evidence from Academia,

1973-1997.” ​SSRN​, 14 May 2001.

Guynn, Jessica. “Google: Race, Gender Gaps Persist in Computer Science Education.”

USA Today​, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 18 Oct. 2016.

Oh, Seong Soo, and Gregory B. Lewis. “Stemming Inequality? Employment and Pay of Female

and Minority Scientists and Engineers.” ​The Social Science Journal​, JAI, 12 Apr. 2011.

“Protections Against Discrimination and Other Prohibited Practices.” ​Federal Trade

Commission​, 24 Sept. 2013.

Zarrett, Nicole R., and Oksana Malanchuk. “Who's Computing? Gender and Race Differences in

Young Adults' Decisions to Pursue an Information Technology Career.” ​New Directions

for Child and Adolescent Development​, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 1 Dec. 2005.