Silicon Valley companies still lagging in representation of women

A study of California’s 400 largest public companies finds that technology companies continue to struggle in terms of representation of women on the boards, as well as in their senior ranks, reports the New York Times. The annual Study of California Women Business Leaders by the University of California, Davis, and Watermark, a Bay Area women’s organization, reports that the software and semiconductor sectors also have the lowest percentages of women among the highest paid executives in a company, at 4.4% and 2.7% respectively, and the lowest percentage of women on their boards. In the semiconductor industry, only 5.2% of directors are women; in the software sector, only 9% are women.

Some organizations in the tech sector are performing well in terms of gender diversity, however. At WON member Hewlett-Packard, 35% of executives are women, including CEO Meg Whitman, and Yahoo’s leaders are 27% women, although they recently lost CEO Carol Bartz. The Times also notes that more than 12 companies on the list had no women directors at all, and no women among their highest paid executives.

Where are the women executives in Silicon Valley?, New York Times, 9 Dec 2011.