Technology's Invisible Women: Black Geek Girls in Silicon Valley and the Failure of Diversity Initiatives

Black women comprise 1% of the Silicon Valley workforce. Between 2015 and 2018, several major technology firms made “diversity pledges” yet these diversity initiatives have failed to produce any significant increases in the number of Black women in the technology industry. This article draws upon a qualitative study of 68 male and female technology workers employed in the San Francisco Bay area. This qualitative study contributes to gender studies, racial studies, organization studies and network theory by providing an empirical case study of Black female technology workers in Silicon Valley. It finds that although Black women bring a diverse range of social and educational resources to the interview table in this industry, the use of social referrals by technology firms operates against the stated goals of diversity initiatives, and that the social referrals reproduce, rather than subvert the racial and gender disparities that characterize the San Francisco industry.