New Research from Digital Planet finds LGBTQ+ Women outnumber LGBTQ+ Men in United States’ Tech Industry

New research from Digital Planet, a research center at The Fletcher School that studies the global impacts of emerging technologies and digitalization, finds that the percentage of LGBTQ+ women outnumber the percentage of LGBTQ+ men in technology companies across the United States. The report finds that the gap between LGBTQ+ women and men is even wider in major tech hubs, like San Francisco and New York City.

Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fletcher’s Dean of Global Business and Director of Digital Planet, spoke with Cheddar News about the insights the research uncovered regarding the patterns of LGBTQ employment across the country.

Dean Chakravorti explains that the discrepancy between LGBTQ women and men in tech could be attributed to the sociological and psychological impacts of a company’s culture and the social norms embedded within them. “If a person feels that they are different from the norm, they tend to have a greater motivation to hide that difference,” explains Chakravorti.

To close the gap, tech companies should reaffirm their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion and increase representation and acknowlegment of their LGBTQ executive-and-senior-level staff.