Photo Source: SmartAsset
For the second year in a row, Kansas City has ranked second among the best cities for women in tech across the United States. The report by SmartAsset includes Washington D.C., Detroit, Baltimore and Indianapolis rounding out the top five cities.
Kansas City and Denver-based custom software development company, Twentyseven Global, is a big supporter of women in tech. Steve Roatch, CEO of Twentyseven Global, said, “The results do not surprise me. Kansas City is a meritocracy. Business leaders evaluate talent based on results and gender simply doesn’t factor into the equation; it certainly doesn’t at Twentyseven Global. Additionally, there are many female role models in KC and the Midwest.”
According to SmartAsset’s website, to determine the best cities across the U.S. for women in tech, data was used from the U.S. Census Bureau to compare women as a percent of the tech workforce, the gender pay gap in tech, income after housing cost and the three year employment growth for women in tech. The SmartAsset formula also considered each city’s growth in overall tech jobs, which was Kansas City’s weak point with tech jobs shrinking by three percent versus the national average increase of eight percent.
Key Findings
Overall, the SmartAsset report reflects no significant progress in either employment or salary wages for women in tech. The report shows women hold less than 26 percent of tech jobs in the U.S. and on average earn just 85 percent of what men in those positions earn.
Notable tech industry leaders across the country are also experiencing the gender workforce gap. According to SmartAsset
- Twitter – Women hold 13 percent of technical positions.
- Amazon – Women hold 11 percent of technical positions.
- Google – Women hold 18 percent of technical positions.
- Microsoft – Women hold 16.9 percent of technical positions.
- Apple – Women hold 22 percent of technical positions.
- Facebook – Women hold 16 percent of technical positions.
Based on the report’s findings, the capital region is the best area in the country for women in technology. Washington D.C. ranked first for women in tech for the second year in a row. The report found that women hold over 40 percent of tech jobs in the area and earn roughly the same average income as men.
According to SmartAsset, the Kansas City “…tech community continues to stand out for both pay equity and for the makeup of its tech workforce. Median pay for women in KC’s computer and mathematical occupations is $67,587, which is about $500 more than the median pay for men.”
The report also said that women make up 33.6 percent of Kansas City’s tech workforce of computer and mathematical jobs. While Kansas City is ahead of the national average of 26.5 percent, there still is an imbalance in gender ratio.
To help mitigate the gender gap in the technology industry, several Kansas City organizations, like Kansas City Women in Technology, are offering support and encouragement to women in the field as well as to girls and young women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). According to an article in the Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Women in Technology organization organizes and offers coding classes, mentoring and networking events. The organization has grown to more than 320 women members with over 60 women mentors.
Laura Brown, senior consultant at Twentyseven Global, is an advocate for women, with an interest in technology. In a previous blog, Laura said, “Instead of viewing my gender as a challenge or an obstacle, I’ve viewed it as an opportunity to provide a unique perspective, as I often look at problems and their solutions from a different angle than my male counterparts.” See what else Laura has to say about her experiences as a woman in tech here.
To see the full SmartAsset report, click here.
