Diversity will be our best investment

YOU don’t have to be immersed in the tech sector to know it has a reputation for not being female-friendly.

Almost every week, stories emerge from Silicon Valley and other tech hotspots of sexist behaviour and the predominance of a “brogrammer” culture that excludes and denigrates women.

Many in tech downplay the rumours of misogyny and deny that the prevailing culture is off-putting for women. Yet, even those companies that proactively work towards gender inclusiveness struggle to advance: In recent weeks alone, powerhouses such as Facebook, Google, and Yahoo published diversity reports that make for grim reading.